Emma Cavallo

During my volunteer work, I participated in weeding, planting, composting, and starting seeds. We first had to take out the weeds where we wanted to start planting seeds. I worked with a team of 2, and we then aerated the soil. We applied fertilizer and compost to each section and marked the new seeds. I noticed that at Rise Up community farm, everyone is super friendly, hard-working, and collaborative. We worked in groups and supported one another. When solving a problem, we all talked through it and divided the work up so we can be most efficient. This experience connected to my goals because I want to be more involved in the Wilmington community and just learn new things. I found this experience to help me get offline and just enjoy working with new people in nature. I love contributing to a bigger cause and found this experience to be very fulfilling. I learned that this community is very inviting and appreciates meeting new people and giving back. Anytime someone came to volunteer or help, Rise Up Community Farm was very thankful and welcoming. This experience helped me learn teamwork and leadership because there were certain things I had to learn from others, and in a business environment, that is going to be present. While I wasn't very experienced in farming, I learned that being a leader doesn't mean you have to be knowledgeable in the task at hand. Being a leader is much more. It is hard work, problem-solving, and learning from others.