As an undergraduate at the University of New Mexico I had the hardest time choosing a major. I just had too many interests! Not one of them included becoming an edible garden consultant or a business owner though. Maybe you’re wondering how I got here and why all the pieces have fallen into place to create my perfect gig.  I’d love to take you along for my story. 

I’ve always had a few loves since high school—writing, reading, and photography. I took a black & white film photography class where I got to process my own film and photographs in the darkroom. It truly made me fall in love with art and perspective. I mostly focused on portraits of friends and even photographed one of my best friends for her Senior portraits. I always loved reading and writing, which landed me in many of the honors-level courses. And while classical literature wasn’t really my jam, it got me interested in writing styles, voice, and representation. 

Some of the black & white film portraits I took in high school. (Hey, Katie!)

Fast forward to my first college semester: I was taking my first ever digital photography course. It was very heavy on digital editing techniques, which really just made me lose all interest. My major went from photography to psychology in a matter of a semester. And while I did really enjoy all of the inner workings of the human psyche and fascinating psychology courses I took (hello Abnormal Psych!), I just didn’t see a career in it. 

I then did a year in the National Student Exchange program, which took me all the way to Wilmington, North Carolina. This small coastal school started taking me on the path that started to feel like a perfect fit. UNC Wilmington was where I took my first environmental studies course, learning of all the horrific things humans have done to the earth, but also all the ways we could begin healing it.

I came back to Albuquerque with a new-found sense of purpose and went to speak with an advisor about switching majors...again. I found out an environmental science degree was VERY science heavy. Physics, anatomy, microbiology? Those weren’t directions I wanted to head in either. I remember finding a paper handout on a new major (yeah, I’m old enough where we had handouts instead of easy internet searches)—International Studies, with a focus in environment, society, and sustainability. Finally! 

Okay, you’ve stuck with me this far on all of my waffling between college majors. But here’s a twist: I didn’t choose just one. I ended up getting a Bachelor’s in International Studies with a minor in English, and a Bachelor’s in English, creative writing with a minor in Psychology. I couldn’t choose just one. 

I then went on to earn a Master’s in Geography and Environmental Studies, which really started honing in all of my career interests and passions. My thesis was on urban water management in Latin America looking at case studies in two cities. Looking back, I can start to see where my path was going. 

Of course during this time I had met the love of my life, Grey, and his entomology career took us to Kansas after we both graduated with my Master’s and his PhD in 2016. Kansas was entirely new to me—the Midwest, green everywhere, mosquitoes. Here I began my 4-year career in State and local government as an environmental specialist. And boy did I learn a lot.  

I learned I was a bright-eyed idealist who wanted to make the world a more sustainable, equitable place. I learned that government oftentimes didn’t have the time or resources for that. I also learned that I wasn’t a huge fan of all the protocols, regulations, and business-as-usual practices that can be all-too-common in government work. But the most important and life-changing career move for me was when I helped start a free community garden from scratch right on the grounds of our local health department where I worked as an environmental health specialist. 

Bright-eyed and bushy tailed, excited for my environmental career.

We secured a small grant that allowed us to build raised beds, install trellises, and create an accessible garden experience with elevated beds for wheelchair users and accessible signage that included Braille labels, ADA-approved text, and large images. Best of all, our garden was located in a neighborhood that was classified as a food desert with limited access to healthy fruits and vegetables. And right when we were just getting started with the first year of our community garden for the neighborhood, COVID hit and my sweet husband landed his dream job in Flagstaff, Arizona. 

A glimpse into the accessible, free community garden I helped start back in Lawrence, Kansas.

It was bittersweet—I had put so much of myself into creating, dreaming, and establishing this community garden. But I also missed my family and friends terribly. So off we went with a trailer full of my plants and two cars full of cats, first to Albuquerque to stay with my parents while we searched for a home in Flagstaff. 

Guess what my search criteria included for finding a home? The warmest geographical location for gardening! All you high-elevation gardeners know what I mean. We have a VERY short growing season here in Flagstaff with upwards of 100 days to grow things. Long story short, we found a great place (with a bunch of deer lol) and Grey started his career right in the middle of COVID. 

I did try for almost half a year to find a job here. But being in the middle of a pandemic and a prior administration that didn’t want new jobs in the environmental sector, I had gotten zero bites. ZERO. I was very discouraged. So I started thinking about what really got my insides tingly and sparked passion in me. And I think you know the answer to that, my friends. 

Gardening! 

Some folks see gardening as trivial, fun, or just a hobby. I see gardening as revolutionary—you’re challenging all of the capitalistic notions that you have to buy your food in a big chain grocery store and it has to travel for thousands of miles to reach your plate. You’re growing your own food! That’s incredible! 

I’ll most definitely be writing more on why I think gardening is revolutionary, but suffice it to say that you’re growing your own food, reducing your carbon footprint, and contributing to an overall better world. 

Once I made that decision, I took the Northern Arizona Master Gardener certification course and got very acquainted with all of the growing issues in Flagstaff. But I really see them as fun experiments and challenges to work through. Like many have said before me, “If you can garden here, you can garden anywhere.” 

So here we are—I’m deep into establishing my own garden consulting and coaching business, Elevated Gardening, to help others grow edible gardens for themselves and pollinators. My path took me from wandering undergraduate to government inspector to garden consultant. And I have so much more control over this path to contribute to society in every way I’d like with community work, hands-on involvement, and environmental justice. 

I’m so excited for this new journey. And I’m really glad to have you here with me. 

Here’s to learning, experimenting, and growing in the garden and as people.