Executive Board Senior Highlight: Izaiah Bokunewicz

Tell us about your involvement with the Student Farm.

I originally started working with the club’s greenhouse hydroponics team, which eventually grew into a project where we grow lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, kale, and basil on in the greenhouses on Curtin Rd. This was awesome because it really started with one person’s individual passion, and has since grown to a group of 86 people becoming interested in hydroponics. Being a part of the growth of hydroponics was a great way to learn and share different ways to farm, how to calculate fertilizer, how to make a profit, and how fast plants grow under different conditions. I learned a lot through the process of hands-on farming and through direct harvesting, which also led me to my job that I’ll start after graduation.

What are some lessons you learned on the farm?

I learned to always be thinking ahead, planning and collaborating with others, using calendars, pooling resources for data collection. I was exposed to the behind-the-scenes side of production, which had a big impact on me. I learned a lot about the different types of fertilizers out there, the way they are taken up by plants, and how that affects the nutrition of the plants while also understanding how different crops respond to different stresses. It is really awesome to see the gradual learning that happens over a whole growing season and the changes that occur each season; how fertile your soil is, the specific growing conditions, labor, resources and other inputs that have to all come together on a farm. In the bigger picture, I learned in-depth about Penn State’s infrastructure for its food supply. 

What experiences with the Student Farm would you say have impacted you the most?

There was a lot of responsibility that I got to experience, and I learned so much through the experience of being a part of the executive board. I was responsible for organizing club trips to NYC and Philly, which included planning and organizing our itinerary, working with the treasurer on the budget, securing UPAC funds, recruiting students. I also had to communicate extensively with Leslie and the club secretary to recruit speakers to come speak during club meetings. This included organizing three club meeting guest speakers- freshman year it was Charlie Szoradi (CEO Independence LED Lighting), sophomore year I brought in Bryan Beck (Long Acres Potato Farms), and last year I invited in Dr. Dickson Despommier (retired professor in microbiology and author of the book, The Vertical Farm).

What is your proudest memory from working with the Student Farm?

I loved working with the executive board team as they became some of my closest friends. Meetings with administrators and being a student representative for the class gift to create an endowment for the Student Farm was empowering. Seeing the growth of the club through the years was also a very rewarding experience. My favorite compliment I heard was that the Student Farm Club is the “best example of student engagement on campus.” This is really encouraging especially when we have hundreds of clubs on campus.

To learn more about Izaiah’s personal story and his journey during his time at Penn State, check out his website! https://www.izaiah-bokunewicz.com/