Bio

I came to North Carolina at the summer’s beginning to work with SAF as a Documentary Fellow. I graduated from college in 2003 and in the years between now and then, I’ve worked for urban gardens and school garden programs, for nonprofits, as a carpenter, as a veterinary assistant, a teacher and a translator... among a few other things! However, most recently, before SAF, I worked on farms, harvesting food and planting seeds.

I have grown up with several family members who are farmers. I’ve always respected and been passionate about the growing of food. Especially with my own farm-work experience, I’ve become very interested in the intersections of agriculture, environmental conservation, and social justice. I feel distressed at the many ways we can be detached from our food system, locally and globally, and how the very thing that sustains us is frequently the cause of abuse and neglect of the environment and of other human beings.

When SAF offered me the opportunity to work as the Documentary Fellow, it represented a convergence of my interests and passions (audio stories & photography). With SAF, I got my first experience teaching documentary work to college students and being so proud of them and inspired by them. I also documented three of the interns over ten weeks (you can see this work by clicking on any of the three images at the top of the main page.)

I believe wholeheartedly in the power of storytelling – in documenting places & people to allow many voices to be heard and to illuminate all the threads of connection between us. Through my work with SAF these months, I am more deeply grateful a supporter of those who grow our food and the necessity to tell their stories and honor their work.

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