Hello! My name is Jason Pollits and I am a new intern for the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm. I am a freshman and I’m getting a degree in Environmental Resource Management. I’m from the Scranton area (like The Office). I have always been interested in the outdoors and sustainable and green practices, so this opportunity fits me well. On a nice day I can be found outside in some capacity. I spend this time outdoors usually fishing, reading, or just out in the woods looking around. There was a time I was kayaking in the early hours of the morning and in that moment, I realized that I never want to be tied to an indoor job for the rest of my life. There is too much to do outside to be stuck in an office on a nice day.
I’ve worked in landscaping and on an orchard in the past, so I love the opportunity for hands-on work. These experiences have shaped me into the farmer that I have become. With this internship I hope to compare what I am learning to what I already know. I also hope to expand my knowledge as agriculture is very interesting to me. On a tour of the Student Farm, soil testing was mentioned and that piqued my interest as that’s something that I find fascinating and wanted to learn more about. I immediately applied to the Student Farm after that. I’m always on a quest for more knowledge, and that has led me to the Student Farm.
On top of wanting to gain more knowledge, I also joined to be a part of a community. I’m a freshman, so I am still trying to establish roots here at Penn State. I had heard about the Student Farm Club, and everyone who had mentioned it was very cool, so I wanted to be involved. Becoming involved with The Student Farm has shown me that there’s more to the community than just those who volunteer their time to the farm. It is also the people that enjoy the produce and the events that the farm puts on. I am very excited to meet all these different groups while working on the farm. Everyone that I have met so far, both interns and volunteers, are people I can see forming bonds with.
I have only been involved with the Student Farm for a semester, but I get so excited every time I head to the farm. I was recently there shoveling dirt for three hours and I didn’t even realize how much time had passed when it was quitting time. When the day comes where I move on from this internship, I will still volunteer my time to help on the farm.