Bright Houses, Inspiring People

My life of passion

Eleanor Rager
Jul 27, 2017 · 5 min read
I love UGA

Isn’t it every 18-year-old girl’s dream to have Georgia red clay-stained fingernails, a sick farmer’s tan, and perfume made from the ripe smell of farm fresh organic fertilizer? No? Then apparently, I am not like other city-dwelling teens, because I proudly display these emblems of my dedication to farming. It is not often that a teenage girl voluntarily gives up her summers to work eight hours per day the Georgia clay, during the peak heat of the summer. However, that is exactly what I have done for my summers the last two years of my life. I enjoy nothing more than the backbreaking work of organic farming. The smell of compost, sounds of nature, and the taste of fresh fruits and vegetables are my most favorite things in the world.

Tobacco Worm in Sungold Tomatos on King of Crops farm

I found out that I was accepted to UGA as a horticulture major in November of 2016. I remember it very thoroughly because it was one of the happiest days in my life that I can remember. It also was the day that I was to be honored with the Georgia Agribusiness Council scholarship and more importantly, the day before my family was taking a trip to Disney World. The entire week we were in Orlando the only clothes I wore said “Go Dawgs” or some variation of that. Every time a stranger walked past me and said, “Go Dawgs” it made me prouder to say that I would be attending UGA.

My excitement eventually led to me applying for the Freshman College Summer Experience. I anxiously awaited June 28, when I would finally be able to move into Building 1516 and begin my college experience at the University of Georgia. However, among this excitement were feelings of anxiousness and worry. I was nervous that I would not be able to handle the stress of college, that I would not be able to make friends while at Freshco, and the fact that I would be leaving my adorable new puppy at home made me sad. How would I cope and adapt to my new environment? After I moved in, I soon realized my fear of not making friends was a ridiculous one. Everybody that I encountered was so kind and friendly. I am fortunate that I go to a school where the atmosphere is one of love and friendship.

My adorable puppy that I left at home

Soon we started classes, I was assigned US History along with the required University classes all 275 of us in the program were enrolled in. While all three of my classes were meaningful and helped prepare me for fall semester, my UNIV 1103 class was the only one that taught the most important lessons. I learned how to be an effective writer by realizing that the most important thing to remember is that I must like what I’m writing about. This seems like a simple lesson, but it is one that I have struggled to fully grasp until this summer semester.

Another opportunity I was exposed to, is the Habitat for Humanity build site. Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit that works to provide affordable and good housing for people in impoverished areas that would not have access to this otherwise. I was not expecting to learn much from this service learning project because I have done things like this before through my involvement with my school’s National Honor’s Society. I soon realized that this would not be the case and I would very much enjoy and learn a lot from this experience.

9 am Thursday morning. We all arrived at the build site on Magnolia Terrace 118, greeted by an older man that had the look that made me think I could never imagine him doing anything other than contracting work. He gave the class a very inspiring story of how the work we were doing would benefit the community and help people. He then proceeded to make fun of some of the German students that worked with him on the build site and tell us that if something isn’t quite working out the way you hoped, cussing would definitely help get the job done. We then broke up into teams and started our tasks for the day. I was on the team that’s task was to scrub floors. In the later weeks, I also helped out by digging ditches and building a deck.

The most inspiring part about the service learning that we did through Habitat was the people that worked there. Two of the full-time employees were students from Germany that were our age. While we worked, they talked to us about education in Germany and what their families were like. They were participating in a program that allowed them to take a gap year in between high school graduation and starting their first year of college. During the gap year, they came to America and partnered with the Athens Habitat for Humanity to work. It is inspiring to me that two young people would leave all of their friends and family behind for a year to come work in a place they hadn’t ever been to before for a community that they were not previously involved in. It made me consider what I found important in my life and what my goals were.

Me in Disney World sporting one of many UGA shirts

While I am at UGA, I want to get involved in as much as I can so that I can establish a solid networking background for after I graduate. I plan to join the horticulture club, work in all of the gardens, and conduct research in the field of organic gardening. I would like to study abroad during my time at UGA and I have even applied for one next summer already. There are plenty of opportunities for me if I will just put in the work, and I am no stranger to hard work. I am fortunate to be at a school with so many opportunities to study what I love.

Working with soil is a passion of mine, but I realize that there is a great need for growing foods in urban areas that are far removed from the farms where all of the crops grow. I am interested in studying aquaponics and hydroponics to help solve potential food crises around the world. My ideal occupation would be working in urban areas, growing wholesome foods in impoverished areas to eradicate their food shortages. I would use my time at UGA to focus studying the most effective means to help impoverished populations access fresh, nutritious, and affordable foods by employing various farming methods adapted for their specific environments. I know that the answers for feeding the hungry are there, and I know that I can make a difference.

Commit to Serve

2017 UGA Freshman College — Service Learning

Eleanor Rager

Written by

Commit to Serve

2017 UGA Freshman College — Service Learning

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