Introducing the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund Inaugural 2022 Class

Starting July 5th, these young adults will travel to sustainable farms for one month apprenticeships. We are so excited for them to share their experiences and incredible voices with the world! And we are proud to see Anne’s energy live on through these adventures.
Thank you for making ASLF possible with your donations and support.

Aji Fatou Nije (she/her)

Emma’s Torch

Consider Bardwell Farm

I am a pre-nursing student from the Bronx, currently studying at Bronx Community College. As a culinary student at Emma’s Torch, one of my short-term goals is to become a chef and open my own restaurant. I will want to make my own products for my restaurant like homemade cheese. I will want to build a relationship with farmers to gain more knowledge and opportunities to run a restaurant business. I believe becoming an apprentice in one of the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund farms will help me achieve my goals and enhance my career.

Alexander Sethi (he/him)

The Fatted Calf

Paradise Locker Meats

A team player, I am a naturalist at heart. Always drawn to cooking from a young age, I’m constantly interested in the provenance of everyday produce. Landing in California, in 2021, I worked my first wine harvest, bringing me to enjoy the Napa landscape, reminiscent of the northern Mediterranean coast. Finding myself at a real crossroads of food and wine I started with the Fatted Calf Butcher/Charcuterie in early 2022. Completely new to the world of meat production and butchery, I hit the ground running, and was drawn in further to learn more about an age-old art and processes for preservation as diverse as the languages used to describe them. Away from work, I’m usually still in the kitchen, fermenting ginger beer or experimenting with miso pickled egg, or just enjoying making pizza.

Anvita Sharma (she/her)

UCLA

Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute

Anvita Sharma is a current junior at the University of California, Los Angeles. In her freshman year, she learned about the intersection between agriculture and sustainability. She thought it was particularly amazing that, although currently responsible for much of the environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture could be the key to re-greening our planet and a carbon-neutral future. Since then, she has desired to learn more about sustainable agriculture from the inside out and educate others using her love of film and the arts. Thanks to the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund, she’s now getting her chance to do so and couldn’t be more excited! When she has free time to herself, Anvita also loves to talk about mental health and politics with friends and about skincare - whose sustainability future she also hopes to learn one day.

August Grice (he/him)

Newburgh Urban Farm and Food

Our Core

My career goals are to help communities environmentally and to have an active role in making a difference in the environment. With the skills that I'll be able to learn along with my interests, I know that I'll be able to accomplish great things. It deeply interests me how the environment is influencing people's lives and way of living; besides that, it's amazing to know how a lot of seemingly small activities are affecting people on a larger scale. I want to learn the skills that are necessary so that I can help to make a difference in the community and so that I can help make this world a better place to live in. Basically, the approach of knowing the different components of nature and the way they interact with each other is fascinating, and I'd love to be able to help the community with the information I will learn.

Bliss Battle (she/her)

Hawthorne Valley Farm

Brooklyn Grange

Hello! I am beyond excited that I have been chosen to be a part of the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund this year. I am passionate about regenerative agriculture and creating food security for people in need. I am planning on starting my own farm in the near future, and am currently educating myself by immersing myself in different farm environments to learn about the benefits and setbacks of different agricultural systems.

Braden Hufstedler (he/him)

Arkansas State University

Newman Farm

My name is Braden Hufstedler. I am 21 years old and from Thayer, Missouri. Having grown up in an agricultural community, I have always had a love for farming and agriculture. I am currently pursuing an Agricultural Education degree at Arkansas State University, and I plan to graduate in the fall of 2022. I look forward to sharing my love of agriculture with future generations of farmers. I want to participate in the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund apprenticeship with Newman Farm so that I can learn more about heritage breed pigs and how to properly manage them. This unique operation and opportunity will better prepare me for a life in agriculture.

Caterra Cornejo (they/she)

Community Herbalist

Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute

Caterra is a 23-year-old queer mixed person living on Kumeyaay land in so called San Diego, California. They are an artist and herbalist, motivated by their love of plants and people to connect with and support their community. Caterra is passionate about food justice and traditional medicine, hoping to buy land to grow accessible food and medicine for folks, in addition to teaching and preserving traditional foodways.

Dianna Georges (she/her)

Bates College

Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute

Hello! I'm Dianna from Clifton, NJ. In May, I graduated from Bates College with a degree in Environmental Studies. Over the last four years, I've worked to understand social inequality, climate change, and what a better world looks like. I've done community organizing on my campus for various issues such as sustainability, racial justice, education access, and worker unionization. Overall, my approach to life is that all issues and people are connected — and we should laugh at least as much as we cry! I'm attracted to food and farming because it's the intersection of sustainability, justice, and culture. I am so excited to work with, learn from, and be in community with the Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute this summer!

Eli Champoux (he/him)

University of Vermont

Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute

My name is Eli Champoux. I am an 18-year-old who lives in Melrose, Massachusetts. I graduated from Melrose High School in 2021 and I am currently attending the University of Vermont. I live at home with my parents Tom and Linda, my sister Abby, and my dog Cooper. I have worked as a camp counselor, a lifeguard, at an ice cream store, and as a teaching assistant at a daycare facility. I value learning through experience, utilizing peer collaboration, and creating a connection with those around me. I love to hike in the woods, ride my bike around, and spend time with my dog.

Emma Hamilton (she/her)

LSU

Jasper Hill Farm

My name is Emma Hamilton and I am a recent graduate of Louisiana State University’s Renewable Natural Resources program. I was born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia and grew up loving to cook with my mom and enjoying the outdoors with my dad. I attended a remote summer camp for nine summers, which gave me a deeper appreciation for the natural world. I have two older sisters, Sara and Reilly, who are my biggest role models, and a golden retriever, Gus, who is my best friend. I love camping, hiking and biking, and traveling. I currently work as a bartender at Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux and am a big LSU Tigers fan. I have worked in stables and livestock farms in the past and love being around all animals. I am so excited to learn how to craft artisan cheese and farm sustainably, work outside and with animals, and meet new people. I can’t wait for this new chapter of my life and to continue Anne’s inspiring legacy!

Evie Fabricant (she/her)

Oberlin College

Jasper Hill Farm

My name is Evie, I grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and I am currently finishing my second year at Oberlin College. I am a studio art major with a passion for farming and sustainability. I love to draw and paint from nature, but I hope to find ways to better connect my life to the environment. Especially growing up in a big city, working outdoors has been meaningful and a major outlet for me, so I can't wait to continue my learning with this apprenticeship.

Gabriela Sanchez (she/her)

University of Illinois Springfield

Spring Brook Farm

My name is Gabriela Sanchez I am currently going into my junior year of college at the University of Illinois Springfield. I am majoring in Environmental Studies. I have always enjoyed being outdoors and in the future, I hope to integrate these two passions to create an opportunity where I can be hands on with the environment.

Isabel Mosley (she/her)

University of Oregon

Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute

I am a recent graduate of the University of Oregon with a degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Climate Studies. I spent the last few months conducting research on wildfire fuel in the Environmental Leadership Program at UO. I really enjoy being outside and going on walks to look at trees. I also love reading, hiking, and traveling so I am very excited to venture to a state I’ve never visited!

Jordy Cazales (he/him)

City-As-School

Thanksgiving Farm

I was born and raised in south Brooklyn to a working-class Mexican immigrant family. I come from a family of Mexican farmers, and I wish to carry on the trade. I wish to be able to practice urban farming in low-income communities like my own to address food apartheid.

Julie Gonzalez (they/she/he)

UCLA

Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute

Julie studied at San Francisco State University and earned a degree in Latinx Studies with minors in Race and Resistance and Education. After graduating, they worked with non-profits within the city that focused on youth empowerment and wellness services and programs; Julie developed a youth toolkit around food systems, created curriculum and facilitated programming. In addition to youth work, Julie worked closely with urban farms to learn the importance of local and autonomous food production using agroecological practices. Most recently, he worked to research lead contaminated soil across the U.S and Los Angeles and researched community led and initiated soil testing models and efforts for soil remediation. In her free time Julie enjoys cooking, reading, and trying to freestyle.

Lucas Friedman-Spring (he/him)

Germantown Friends

Jasper Hill Farm

Lucas Friedman-Spring is a junior at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia. Originally from New York City, he moved to Philly when he was 10 years old. His work experience ranges from caring for goats in suburban Philadelphia, working at a soccer camp for children in Kensington, and interning at a laundry workers’ union in Newark. He plays goalkeeper for his school’s soccer team and enjoys eating fruit and spending time with his dogs.

Molly Pfeffer (she/her)

American Farmland Trust

Meadow Creek Dairy

Born in NYC and raised in New Jersey, Molly considers herself a nature lover, people person and idealist. Based in Washington, DC, Molly has been working for environment-centered organizations for the past few years, most recently with a sustainable agriculture nonprofit. For nearly a decade she's also been working for a local baker, selling bread at farmers markets and helping out in the bakery. She attributes her passion for honest food systems to the second family she's been welcomed into through the markets. In her free time, Molly enjoys biking and walking around the city, collecting wildflowers, researching family history, and enjoying local food and drinks with her partner. She’s looking forward to spending a month with Meadow Creek Dairy and adding cheesemaking to her unique collection of experiences, such as photographing snail shells for the Smithsonian and music programing during her college radio days. While she's never milked a cow or had a four-legged pet, she does own too many houseplants and enjoys learning about plant species. Fun fact! Molly has never liked peanut-butter, but she does consume an excessive amount of Brussels sprouts.

Sage Taylor (she/her)

Oregon State University

Jasper Hill Farm

Hi! My name is Sage Taylor and I'm a third year Food Science student also minoring in Sustainability for Oregon State University. I am passionate about environmental justice and sustainability and hope to make the world a more equitable and beautiful place! I am currently working in undergraduate research in our Sustainable Processing and Packaging Lab working on how edible films can replace single use plastic in the food industry. I love to cook and garden, and I hope to blend my technical science skills with experimental knowledge while working at Jasper Hill this summer to bring a greater understanding of small hand food processors to my future career path in the food industry!