The UWC-USA Agroecology Research Center (or simply The Farm) has become one of the places where second year Helene’s education feels most real. What began as a casual introduction during orientation when she arrived in Montezuma almost two years ago, turned into a deep commitment, shaped by early-morning harvests and the quiet satisfaction of work done with her hands. She arrived not even liking tomatoes; she now jokes that she will crave the farm’s cherry tomatoes for the rest of her life, not just for their sweetness, but for what they represent: care, patience, and connection to the land.
As Helene grew more involved, the farm stopped being just a co-curricular activity and became a lens through which she sees her UWC-USA experience. In her Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) class, she studied concepts like environmental stewardship and resource consumption. On the farm, those ideas moved from theory to practice. Compost was no longer a chapter in a textbook but a heavy bucket in her hands. The tension between global food insecurity and the local abundance on campus is now something she thinks about often.
Over two years, Helene shifted from learner to leader. As a farm leader, she organizes work crews, explains tasks, and reads the faces of students who may be overwhelmed by the chores or unsure about harvesting. She has learned that good leadership is not about ordering people around but listening to them, respecting their limits, and finding ways for everyone to contribute. Moments like participating in a goat butchering for a traditional New Mexico matanza have pushed her to confront the realities behind the food we eat and deepened her gratitude and sense of responsibility.
For Helene, the farm and ESS form a continuous loop: classroom concepts give meaning to her work in the fields, and farm experiences give weight and urgency to academic discussions. In that loop, her attitudes and values have quietly transformed. She is leaving UWC-USA not just as a student of sustainability, but as a leader determined to live it.