Emma Pierce
Supporting a Robust Food System in Chicago's Woodlawn Neighborhood
SES student Emma Pierce's internship with First Presbyterian Church of Chicago
In the summer of 2024, Loyola student Emma Pierce embarked on an eye-opening internship experience at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago in the city's Woodlawn neighborhood. The internship is part of the Partners in Chicago Food Systems program, a School of Environmental Sustainability effort that supports local organizations working to increase food sovereignty in Chicago communities.
School of Environmental Sustainability student Emma Pierce works in the garden at First Presbyterian Church in the Woodlawn neighborhood as part of their internship.
SES faculty members launched the program with the help of a Schreiber Innovation Grant. The grant supports collaborative research and funds paid internships that foster students' professional, personal, and civic development while providing skilled labor for community organizations. The program team partnered with nine Chicago-area organizations building or advancing local food systems, including the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. The church is working to establish a robust food system that serves all Woodlawn residents. The group hosts 200 community gardeners and two mutual aid food programs and is restoring a large greenhouse for community use.
Like many students in Loyola's School of Environmental Sustainability (SES), Emma found the opportunity in the school's student bulletin, sent by email every two weeks. They were excited to see an off-campus food systems internship with a community organization.
In their role as a food system community organizer with First Presbyterian, Emma focused on organizing community members and growers to speak at the weekly Greenhouse Share Circle Event, a time for people to gather and discuss their passions for sustainable food management and growing. "The Greenhouse Share Circle helped solidify a sense of community and what the greenhouse project truly means to us as supporters of a sustainable food system and our wellbeing," Emma said.
Emma Pierce talks with gardener Cynthia Anglin in the Woodlawn neighborhood community garden.
Emma also helped host the organization's composting workshops. During the internship, they advanced their skills in social media promotion for events and managed volunteer workdays for beautification efforts around the greenhouse. They also applied meeting insights and research to establish a model for greenhouse membership design.
"There are a million impactful things I have learned from this internship," they said. Emma's relationship enabled them to focus on organizing, sharing knowledge of sustainable food systems, and benefiting the Earth. Emma learned through the projects they took on and from the people involved with the community garden at the church.
Emma said the internship has helped them determine what a future career could look like. "This experience helped solidify my passion for working within the food system, especially in community building, and allowed me to grow my communication and equity-minded organizing skills."
The food systems internships run through mid-October. SES offers many other internship opportunities both on campus and with partner organizations in the Chicago area. Learn more about SES internships here.
Story by Avery Elowson
Photos by Lukas Keapproth
October 24, 2024
SES faculty members launched the program with the help of a Schreiber Innovation Grant. The grant supports collaborative research and funds paid internships that foster students' professional, personal, and civic development while providing skilled labor for community organizations. The program team partnered with nine Chicago-area organizations building or advancing local food systems, including the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. The church is working to establish a robust food system that serves all Woodlawn residents. The group hosts 200 community gardeners and two mutual aid food programs and is restoring a large greenhouse for community use.
Like many students in Loyola's School of Environmental Sustainability (SES), Emma found the opportunity in the school's student bulletin, sent by email every two weeks. They were excited to see an off-campus food systems internship with a community organization.
In their role as a food system community organizer with First Presbyterian, Emma focused on organizing community members and growers to speak at the weekly Greenhouse Share Circle Event, a time for people to gather and discuss their passions for sustainable food management and growing. "The Greenhouse Share Circle helped solidify a sense of community and what the greenhouse project truly means to us as supporters of a sustainable food system and our wellbeing," Emma said.
Emma also helped host the organization's composting workshops. During the internship, they advanced their skills in social media promotion for events and managed volunteer workdays for beautification efforts around the greenhouse. They also applied meeting insights and research to establish a model for greenhouse membership design.
"There are a million impactful things I have learned from this internship," they said. Emma's relationship enabled them to focus on organizing, sharing knowledge of sustainable food systems, and benefiting the Earth. Emma learned through the projects they took on and from the people involved with the community garden at the church.
Emma said the internship has helped them determine what a future career could look like. "This experience helped solidify my passion for working within the food system, especially in community building, and allowed me to grow my communication and equity-minded organizing skills."
The food systems internships run through mid-October. SES offers many other internship opportunities both on campus and with partner organizations in the Chicago area. Learn more about SES internships here.
Story by Avery Elowson
Photos by Lukas Keapproth
October 24, 2024