By Lemuel Reid, Great Kids Farm intern and senior at WEB DuBois High School
I always knew I wanted to do something in nature. I loved animals and wanted to help and protect them. When I was with them I felt calm and peaceful. Growing up, I watched the Discovery channel and Animal Planet on TV. I just didn’t think I could ever find a career doing something that I actually loved to do.
When I enrolled at WEB Dubois School of Environmental Science, and began to take classes in animal and plant science, things began to get interesting. I started going on field trips to the Great Kids Farm in 9th grade. So last year, when I realized I needed to get a job, I thought of the Farm. I already knew I didn’t want to work at a fast food place. I’m not good at that kind of work and I don’t like it. When my advisor told me there were paid internships at the Farm, I went out there for an interview. I was scared out of my mind. Then one day at school it was announced on the intercom that three of us had gotten jobs there. I was really excited.
I went out to the Farm the following Saturday to start the internship. It was snowing. I was nervous and worried about messing up. But then I walked up the driveway and saw a lot of people working. I met Greg who was our boss. It was so beautiful out there. That first day, we harvested kale. Of course I had no idea what that was, but I was already learning stuff like how to handle food safely. I was working with two other students – two of us from WEB Du Bois and one from City College. We planted and harvested micro-greens. It was not easy, and it took me time to get my rhythm going and find my pace. I learned how to lay out the seeds on the trays evenly, and then water them. It takes about two weeks before they are ready to be harvested. Then they get shipped off to places in Baltimore city like Milk and Honey and Woodberry Kitchen and Shoo-fly.
I’m proud that the food I help grow is also served in our school cafeteria. I tell my friends that I helped make those beets and romaine lettuce and cukes and carrots. I planted and harvested them, and they are the fruits of my labor.
I’ve been working at the farm for nearly two years – every Saturday and sometimes during the week. It takes me 3 buses and over an hour one way to get here – but I love it. It gives me peace of mind. I don’t have to deal with motor fumes or people yelling at each other in the street. I don’t have to pay attention to the violence. At the farm, I’ve found I like working with other people. When I first got there I was pretty shy. But now I’m working with people from Youth Works, who I didn’t know before. Now we are co-workers and friends. Plus I’m working for the greater good, helping to save the planet for future generations.
I’ve learned a lot about myself. I now know I’m a green thumb. I know how to make things grow. In the beginning I didn’t like getting my hands dirty and covered with soil. Now I don’t mind it. I just wash them all the time. This has been such a great experience. I’ve learned new ways of looking at things. I’ve learned how to think on my feet and start planning for the future. I’ve learned how to work with others and what it takes to be a professional. The farm has also helped me think about the future. I think it will help me get a job later on. I didn’t use to see much of a future in these activities that I love, but now I see two possible career paths. I could be a farmer as part of Food Corps. I can also still see myself working with animals. When I first came to high school, I didn’t think I would have the grades to go to college. But my grades have improved, so now I can get in. I’m looking at one local community college that offers classes in becoming a vet’s assistant.
The farm has also made me think about food differently. I eat more vegetables, sometimes raw. I also bring fresh vegetables home. One of my siblings said, “I don’t trust them, I’ve never seen these kinds of vegetables and greens, and there’s dirt on them.” But now my family trusts what I bring home from the farm, at least a little.
This whole experience has been a challenge. I have worked hard, and I’m trying to get better at what I do. I think I’ve become a better person. It’s like I’ve seen you can become better than the stereotypes, that you actually matter.