I'm a Michigander, through and through! Having spent most of my life and many vacations in this lovely state, I have an intense desire to not only see good things happen here, but to be a part of that story. Michigan is such an amazing place that I have trouble imaging myself leaving and Ypsilanti a gem, often overlooked. I've known about Growing Hope since moving to the Ann Arbor/Ypsi area in 2006 for school and have since made sure to check out what exciting things this amazing organization has going on, from their youth programs to the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmer's Market and the Growing Hope Center urban demonstration farm to their Garden Leadership Training course. Once I was alerted to an opening, I jumped at the opportunity to join the Growing Hope team and thankfully they felt I was a good fit! I'm beyond excited to be working to increase opportunities for healthy food access and food consumption in the Ypsilanti area by working with residents to grow their own food. It is such a powerful experience. My job specifically is in managing the youth programs including after school clubs, summer camps, a youth internship program and gardening programs around residential raised bed installations and leadership training for community gardeners, in addition to doing some work on program evaluation.
| Job Title: |
Garden and Youth Program Manager |
| Company: |
Growing Hope |
| College: |
Univeristy of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment, Environmental Justice, Ann Arbor, MI
|
| High School: |
Mount Pleasant High School, Mount Pleasant, MI
|
| Lives In: |
Ypsilanti |