Class of '26: Graduating seniors develop app targeting food waste; students eat it up
Daniel Self and Gavin Bartow’s Second Course provides access to free meals across campus. Next step: expansion.
Last in a series
San Diego State University students Gavin Bartow and Daniel Self both are days away from graduation, but their impact already is contributing to SDSU’s ongoing efforts to address food access and sustainability.
Earlier this spring the pair launched Second Course — an app connecting students to free, surplus food from events across the San Diego campus — and were met with immediate demand.
“On the first day, 150 users signed up, and nearly every posted meal was claimed within 10 minutes,” said Self, a fourth-year computer engineering student and co-founder of the app. “It was a little overwhelming, in a good way.”
Since its launch, the app (currently available only on iOS) has grown to 680 users.
Organizers use Second Course to post available meals in real time, including photos, portion counts, locations and pickup windows. Students claim a meal, and food that might otherwise be composted is instead packaged into to-go containers and redistributed.
The idea is rooted in Self’s personal experience. As a first-generation college student, he faced food and housing insecurity while attending community college.
“I ended up living out of my car,” he said. “I was homeless and hungry during that time. I had to put my studies away and worked for several years before I came back to school. That experience 100% informed what we’re doing.”
While the app addresses food insecurity and reducing food waste, the founders intentionally designed it to be inclusive.
“We want this to be for every student, not just students who are struggling,” said Bartow, an MBA student in the Fowler College of Business and co-founder of the app. “Avoiding stigma was a huge part of this. We wanted it to feel open and welcoming to anyone who wants food and support for their well-being.”
The free meals have included a variety of options, from barbecued chicken and Cali wraps at an Alumni Center research conference to Chinese food from an Aztec Shops catered event and Costco pizza at an E-Leet Coders club meeting.
Expert assistance
Bartow joined the project as it began to take shape. Through SDSU’s ZIP Launchpad and the Lavin Entrepreneurship Center, the pair refined the concept through mentorship, testing and iteration.
After earning third place in the 2025 SDSU Social Venture Challenge, the team used the $5,000 award to bring the app to life.
“Receiving that funding really turned the idea into something real,” Bartow said. “We also had strong support from our mentor, professor Iana Castro, who firmly believed in what we were doing even when others were skeptical.”
During the pilot stage, the founders distributed flyers with QR codes and posted surplus food themselves at events across campus.
“We handed out flyers that just said, ‘free food for students,’” Self said. “Students told us right away how much it was helping them, and 15 student organizations signed up immediately.”
By March, the project expanded to include a partnership with SDSU Catering, allowing surplus catered food to be packaged and shared with students through the app.
“At the end of the day, we want the food we prepare to serve people,” said Isaac Duarte, associate director of SDSU Dining. “This partnership helps extend the impact of our food, supports students and offers a sustainable way to reduce waste on campus.”
Second Course complements SDSU’s broader essential support programs, including the Basic Needs Center, the Economic Crisis Response Team and the Associated Students Food Pantry.
For Self, building the app transformed his academic experience.
“It became a way to apply what I was learning to a real-world project that immediately helped people,” he said.
After graduating, the founders are focused on expanding the platform beyond SDSU.
“Long term, I’d love to see this at every public university,” Bartow said. “In the near term, expanding within the CSU system feels very possible.”
Read more on the Class of '26:
A returning student overcomes impostor syndrome to curate travel experiences for celebrities
A transfer student reinvents herself with a midcourse adjustment
Trailblazing Imperial Valley undergraduate helps his community through public health
