I was an intern for Roots Rising in the summer of 2017, their inaugural year. I returned as an educator the following summer and still refer to my experience as "the best job ever". Roots Rising inspired me to pursue a master's degree in nonprofit management, looking to approach environmental education in a non-formal, youth development setting. As I was finishing my final semester of graduate school, the world started to close down due to COVID. Roots Rising did not! I joined the team again and helped to coordinate the Virtual Farmers Market, a whole new market structure. What a special project! The VFM was a ray of hope and community connection during a time of real isolation. It was a gift, truly, to be able to connect with the team once more and work with so many amazing community volunteers. 

Roots Rising is an award-winning organization whose mission is to empower youth and build community through food and farming. Our vision is to lift up teens as community changemakers and strengthen the local food system through the transformational power of meaningful work. Learn more at RootsRising.org.