Get to know our 2016 Summer Garden Management team!
Valeria Lake
Tell us about yourself: Greetings! My name is Valeria Lake, originating from the great state of Florida and coming to you by way of Atlanta, Georgia (I’m a traveler :)). I am currently about to begin my junior year at The Florida State University as an Editing, Writing, and Media and Communications double major. Some of my interests include writing, singing, doing makeup, shopping, and analyzing music! You may be thinking then, “How did she get involved with Captain Planet?” And the only plausible response to this is that I pride myself on my own personal curiosity to try and conquer things that I would consider out of the box. So, two years ago I tried CPF out, and here I am again! This has truly been worth the experience in more ways than one!
Proudest summer accomplishment: This would have to be the huge harvest from Summerour Middle! And the garden is still flourishing; it’s not even missing those almost 20 pounds of goodies!
Favorite veggie and why: Definitely corn on the cob! It has to be on the cob though. And it’s my favorite because you can do so much with it; grill it, boil it, bake it, shuck it, fry it, MICROWAVE it into popcorn on a stick! It’s universal, it’s sweet, it’s yellow (most of the time), and it’s fun to eat!
Career Aspirations / What are you doing now?: My current career goals include attending law school, and becoming an entertainment lawyer. I hope to become successful enough to own and operate my own firm, hire people, and be one of the most recognizable law brands in the nation when it comes to handling entertainers’ (athletes, models, singers, dancers, rappers, artists, etc.) business. With that being said, I am currently searching for a law school that will fully equip me to make this happen!
Suzie Pope
Click here to read Suzie’s blog post about her summer experience.
Jason Brown
Tell us about yourself: This summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to do the summer garden internship with the Captain Planet foundation. This internship has proven challenging yet rewarding. From all the long, hot sweaty days, to the most relaxed times sitting in the shade, this job has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. But I would have to say that the relationships I have built during this internship are one of the biggest rewards. I have enjoyed the jokes and good conversation that I have had during installs, with teachers, and in the office. In this line of work, I feel that the people are cut of a much warmer cloth. Everyone is more accepting and caring and just more personable and friendly in general. It feels as if the Captain Planet foundation isn’t a cold office for only business. It feels like a family and I am humbled to be welcomed with such wide arms.
Doing this work for different communities while participating in this internship was fun. Also, the good feeling of learning how to garden more efficiently and building and installing gardens that will be used for years upon years makes me happy. I enjoy contributing to the community because I’m helping the future leaders future leaders of this world. Seeing the smiles on the kids faces when they use or help build the garden is priceless and I would love to do it again next summer.
Proudest summer accomplishment: Being able to do an install with the kids at Radloff.
Favorite veggie and why: Iceberg lettuce, because I eat salads and I always use iceberg lettuce.
Career Aspirations / What are you doing now?: I want a career in construction management and to be able to integrate green technology into construction as a norm. I am currently a student at Georgia Southern University