Hello! My name is Rachael Gardner, and I am a second year Nutritional Sciences Major at Penn State. I am from State College, Pennsylvania and I am a current Student Farm Intern for this upcoming summer and fall! I have been interested in food, cooking, and the environment from an early age and I have found that there is always more to learn about food. Since I already have a background in nutrition and healthy eating practices, I was interested in applying for an internship where I could learn more about food from an agricultural perspective. The Student Farm intern position was enticing to me because it would allow me to gain knowledge on topics that I had never learned about before like sustainable agriculture, food systems, and marketing. I was also interested in the fact that I would be able to gain hands-on experience outdoors at the on-campus farm.
Since I started learning more about the farm through AGECO495, I have already gained so much knowledge on the specific farming practices we use at Penn State and different practices used worldwide. I have enjoyed getting some hands-on experience in the greenhouses and on the farm and I am excited to continue learning more about the farm during the prime growing seasons. One of my first hands-on experiences was on seeding night when all the interns and volunteers worked to plant all the seeds which I have now gotten to see grow into healthy seedlings. I was surprised to learn that all the diverse groups of crops have their own specific needs which we work hard to meet by taking each one into consideration regarding where they are planted, what temperature they thrive in, and what kind of nutrients they need.
Another part of this internship position that interests me is the ability to hold a leadership position of my own alongside all the other interns with their own unique position. I have previously held leadership positions and would like to apply that background to my experience on the farm. Throughout this summer, I hope to learn as much as possible about the leadership position that I will hold and be able to consider myself confident in my knowledge of sustainable farming practices. I am also excited to be able to apply this knowledge to a future career in nutrition and gain a greater appreciation for the farming community and sustainable agrifood systems. All the topics that we have learned about so far are so important and there are so many great resources on campus for anyone to get involved in and learn more about how to grow clean food in a sustainable way.