Rachel currently grows on the unceded lands of the People of the Three Fires, the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatami peoples (Chicago, IL), working as the Farm Production Manager for Star Farm. Prior to farming, Rachel developed hands-on educational programming for people of all ages at art and science museums and outdoor science education centers for 6 years. She followed the call to work more intentionally with plants and people in 2017, blending her skills as an educator and budding grower to teach teens and the greater community how to grow food with the Chicago Botanic Garden’s urban agriculture initiative Windy City Harvest. Wanting to deepen her relationship with plants and further develop her skills as a farmer, she joined Star Farm in January 2021, where she now manages all on-farm plant needs, mentors beginner farmers through their small incubator space, and contributes to community programming. She loves cultivating her plantcestors of garlic, onions, and beans. Rachel is most excited about creating spaces that make everyone feel welcome (humans and other species alike), showcase the transformative power of growing, and make nutritious, neighborhood-grown food more accessible. If she’s not at the farm, Rachel is probably already messy from her work in her own garden at home, her neighborhood gardening association, the kitchen, or the woods.