Plants VS Bugs: Battle on the Farm and Garden

I have been an educator for five years, specializing in biology for the last three. I began my Outschool journey by designing a Garden Biology which explores core scientific concepts through the lens of ecology and sustainable agriculture. Since joining the Creative Curriculum Coop in 2023, I have been using art and animation in teaching Visual Biology Beginnings and have maintained a perfect 5-star rating. 

I have a Bachelor's in Agriculture and Ecology from Hampshire College. Hampshire College specializes in a learner lead and experiential pedagogy which aligns with Outschool's values. 

I received my Outdoor Leadership Certificate from Hanfl Center for Outdoor Education and Environmental Study in 2019 along with an Advanced Wilderness First Aid Certificate. 

I had the privilege of managing the gardens at the Art Monastery, which is dedicated to cultivating personal awakening and cultural transformation through art making, spiritual practice, and reciprocity with the earth. I managed volunteers to grow local organic food using ecologically informed techniques.

I sat on the advisory committee for the Shao Shan Temple Community Garden which works with community members of all ages to create a nourishing space for mindfulness practice, community engagement, and to provide fresh local veggies for the temple programs and the local food shelf.  

I have a TESOL certificate to teach English as a second language. I have traveled to Thailand and India while teaching English as a second language. 

During my Ecology and Agriculture major at Hampshire College I volunteered with Help Yourself Northampton to plant Public Access Food Forests in public spaces around the city. 

I had the privilege of volunteering for Fresh New London; their mission is empowering youth, connecting community and growing food to dismantle systemic oppression and build food sovereignty.

I have also had the opportunity to volunteer at Nuestras Raices, a grassroots urban agriculture organization based in Holyoke, MA. 

I also had the wonderful opportunity to assist with a nature based after school program at Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School which used nature games and nature based arts and crafts to teach K-4th grade students about basic ecological principles and basic outdoors skills. 

During my six month apprenticeship at Green Gulch Farm and Zen Center in San Francisco, CA I had the opportunity to meet with local high school students to talk with them about mindfulness, meditation, and organic farming during community outreach programs at the farm. 

During my time at Hampshire College I worked with the organization Real Food Challenge which is dedicated to mobilizing young people to redefine real food and build a food system that benefits everyone.

I was one of the original members of the Pioneer Valley Workers Center Farmworker Organizing Committee. 

I was lucky to present at the 2017 Northeast Organic Farmers Association about soil grown sprouts and the environmental benefits of growing fresh greens at home rather than buying them from farms across the country. 

I have had the privilege of taking a permaculture design course with Eric Toensmeier, the award-winning author of Edible Forest Gardens and Carbon Farming.