We're welcoming a new crop of spring Farm Education Interns to the farm. They’re quite a talented and enthusiastic group!
Over the next few months, Erin, Anne, Cary, Jenny, Aisha and Gretchen will spend two days per week on the farm working with a team of Farm Educators to conduct our Field Trip Program. They’ll also be working on outside projects that will help Arcadia’s Farm Education Programs grow.
Read on to virtually meet each of them and check out their bios. If our interns were vegetables, we'd have a full meal, including an eclectic mixed greens salad and a side of eggplant and mushrooms!
Erin Bischoff
What experiences have prepared you for this position?
For a few summers I was involved with a nonprofit that does community development work with local youth in Latin America. Some of the projects I've worked on have ranged from community vegetable gardens and nutrition workshops to building latrines and renovating schools. This exposed me to the potential that young people have when working towards a common goal and the experience of organizing volunteers allowed me to grow as a leader.
What are you hoping to learn as a Farm Education Intern at Arcadia?
My exposure to agriculture is mostly limited to experiences that took place in tropical climates, so I'm very excited to learn about agricultural practices and produce that can be found in this region. I'm also looking forward to learning about which fruits and vegetables are most abundant and available seasonally so that I can use them more appropriately at home.
If you were a vegetable, what would you be?
Even though it is technically a fungus, I think if I were a vegetable, I would be a mushroom. They're earthy and bold in flavor, but they also have a very delicate side to them.
Anne Criag
What experiences have prepared you for this position?
I love being in gardens and I enjoy sharing that enthusiasm with other people, especially children. Being a classroom teacher for over 10 years, teaching many grade levels, I know the most successful and enjoyable lessons involved the students moving around and having materials they could touch and manipulate. Sharing time with my own children often involves discovering wonderful things in nature. I am a gardener that believes there is no meal as delicious as the one you started with a seed months before.
What are you hoping to learn as a Farm Education Intern at Arcadia?
As a Farm Education Intern at Arcadia I am hoping to learn more about sustainable farming and new ways to share the importance of it with children. Working at a non-profit organization will be a new experience for me.
If you were a vegetable, what would you be?
If I were a vegetable I would be lettuce. Lettuce is pretty easy to grow and I am pretty easy to get along with. I am happy being by myself but I also enjoy being with others too. My son says I should be lettuce because I am always saying, “Lettuce do this together. Lettuce get started.”
Cary Euwer
What experiences have prepared you for this position?
I co-taught an environmental science course for 4th graders in college, and that was the first experience that really got me thinking about the optimal way to learn while considering what knowledge is absolutely essential. Unsurprisingly, our best lessons revolved around hands-on projects and food. Inspired by the empowering potential of growing one’s own food, I went on to work as the coordinator for a community vegetable garden in a food desert in north Saint Louis, where I was responsible for both the garden and the large volunteer events needed to put non-profit Grace Hill’s vision into effect.
This previous work culminated in probably my most enjoyable experience: teaching environmental science lessons, particularly on the carbon cycle, to 5-7 year olds for Living Classrooms in the summer of 2012. The cornerstone of our lessons centered on a small vegetable garden.
What are you hoping to learn as a Farm Education Intern at Arcadia?
I’d like to learn more about the possibilities of environmental education, and what crazy ideas people with a passion for it can come up with.
If you were a vegetable, what would you be?
If I were a vegetable: I’d be Okra.
Jenny Roe
What experiences
have prepared you for this position?
While working towards
my MS, I volunteered on Gorgie City Farm where I served as an Education
Volunteer. I led weekly hands-on workshops with elementary school children, teaching
them about food production and farming. This experience has provided me with
the basic skills necessary to teach children in an outdoor setting about
our food system and the important impact it has on the environment and our
health. In addition, I spent time working in a garden where I was able to experiment
growing my own organic vegetables for the first time and acquired basic gardening skills. I
also grew to truly appreciate growing your own vegetables as it is a
difficult task however extremely rewarding.
What are you
hoping to learn as a Farm Education Intern at Arcadia?
I hope to be inspired by the children and other visitors who come to Arcadia each day as well as
the other interns and staff members. Children always ask the most
difficult questions that you would never think of, this always pushes me
to think outside of the box and gives me a new perspective on things. Working
with such a motivated, passionate group of people will push me to
continue working towards my goals of making the world a healthier, happier place.
If you were a
vegetable, what would you be?
Spinach! I put spinach in everything, it is so versatile which I can identify with. When gardening
in Scotland, my spinach plants grew the fastest so I was always taking home
fresh, organic spinach for all of my meals! It also helps make you strong, as I
work to become stronger each day.
Aisha Salazar
What experiences have prepared you for this position?
I have worked with children as a tutor, camp counselor/director, and currently as a science educator. I interned as a food and wine reporter for Northern Virginia magazine, where I learned about sustainable agriculture by touring farms and talking with local chefs and farmers. I spent an intensive week in Toulouse, France where I visited several organic and biodynamic farms and learned about issues affecting Europe during a class on sustainable agriculture. Through my academic research I have been to both US borders to learn about agricultural inspection methods, toured large production farms, and learned about food safety and food defense policies. Arcadia will allow me to combine all those experiences as a Farm Education Intern.
What are you hoping to learn as a Farm Education Intern at Arcadia?
I’m hoping to learn a variety of engaging, hands-on, and entertaining methods to educate children about agriculture, nutrition, and food. I’d like to understand how children perceive food and how to broaden their appreciation of and exposure to food, agriculture, and the environment. Everyone has that favorite food memory, so hopefully I can help create that while at Arcadia. I want to learn how a non-profit like Arcadia works and learn more about the food system and food security issues within the DC metro region, as well as how to communicate these issues to children (and those that are young at heart).
If you were a vegetable, what would you be?
This is a tough question. If the question is based on what vegetable I eat the most and therefore “you are what you eat,” I would be cilantro or a potato. Cilantro adds an extra punch to a dish, while you can cook potatoes in so many different ways. I think I can relate to both in that I’m versatile and tend to adapt to situations well. I relate to cilantro with its zest and gusto…mine would be a zest for knowledge, food, and fun. I’m also pretty well-grounded. On that note, I would be corn with all the puns and corny jokes I make.
Gretchen Verilli
What experiences
have prepared you for this position?
Prior to this internship, I was a nutrition intern and dining educator for UVa Dining for almost 5 years. Both of those positions taught me a lot about promoting
health and wellness to students in a way that is both fun for them and
effective in communicating our message. I also spent a summer during
college working on a farm and selling the products at several farmers’ markets around
the area.
What are you
hoping to learn as a Farm Education Intern at Arcadia?
I am hoping to learn new and exciting ideas of how to promote healthy lifestyles to children. I
hope to get children excited about nutritious foods, and also learn more about
farming and agriculture.
If you were a
vegetable, what would you be?
I would be an eggplant. They thrive in full sunshine, and I love the color.
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