During my time spent with Boston Microgreens this summer, I was dedicated to keeping daily accounts of what I learned during that day and what I could take away as a greater lesson. I knew doing this would enhance my experience by causing me to take a step back to truly examine the events of the day and what I learned. Furthermore, I believe that the act of writing everything down facilitated a deeper understanding of my daily experiences by causing me to relive them in writing. I originally outlined my posts to be made up of three different sections: growing, business and other experiences I hoped to capture and remember. I went into the summer with the idea that each of these sections would be easy to write due to the fact that I thought there would be separate experiences that would fall into the three categories. Looking back now, I don’t think that this was an unreasonable expectation. The way we as students go through formal education, there is much separation between aspects of work wherein we learn about each subject in isolation. For example, as an SFF student, I learn about the science of plant anatomy separately from the environment and even business. As a result of this, each subject matter becomes its own isolated set of knowledge. Believing that I would experience lessons about business differently than learning lessons about growing makes sense. Throughout the experience, however, I learned how much each of these categories actually overlap in the real world. Problems with the growth of plants directly affect how a company has to approach their business plan. Changes in the needs of a customer directly affects the methods a greens company has to grow their product. I can confidently say now, at the end of the experience as a whole, that all aspects of business and growing are intertwined in a company that provides food for restaurants or even businesses that sell it, such as supermarkets. I think the progression of this discovery is apparent in my blog entries. I became a bit more comfortable with allowing these areas to mingle in my writing. I did not feel like I had to be so strict with outlining their differences as I began to realize that there was little difference between the two. 

On another note, I found that it was a really interesting experience to bring a fresh perspective to a company on the newer side that is fairly steadfast in the ways that it has been operating thus far. Oliver Homberg’s passion for both his business and the concept of urban agriculture as a whole has led him to become rather dedicated to the methods and practices used by the company that has caused its success over the past few years. Additionally, he has hand picked a close knit staff that also shares in that passion and dedication. As a result of this, the company has been comfortable in its standing with the restaurant community. Bringing on myself as a new addition for the duration of the summer, allowed Homberg to have extra hands to explore the business outlets he has been wanting to develop for some time, such as the residential market and school outreach. I believe entrusting me with these two areas both helped and challenged the company. Handing off some of these responsibilities gave the company the ability to not have to divide its attention in order to explore the idea of expansion, which I felt was one of the reasons why it had not yet expanded into those two areas yet. On the other hand, bringing me into the equation, with all of my unique experiences and work, challenged the way the company was approaching residential customers and school administration members. I spoke with many of the different members of the company about how one cannot approach the residential market and schools in the same way it does the restaurants, which was how it was being done before. One must really break down the information and the ideas due to the fact that the conversation is not being had between two people passionate about plants and flavor profiles but rather between an interested individual and a company with the product and resources to quench that individual’s curiosity. In conveying this thought, I also was challenged, myself. I needed to practice and strengthen my communication skills in a professional setting. I had to hold myself to being clear and concise while also having ample evidence to back up my thoughts and ideas. I believe that this summer facilitated the growth of both the company’s and my own ability to think deeply about communication and the methods with which one needs to use it in order to convey messages or facts. 

Finally, my internship experience at Boston Microgreens caused me to think deeply about my future and what I could envision for myself. In this day and age, when someone around my age says that they are studying something in college there is an expectation that they have an extremely clear end goal that they are working towards, career wise. I have always known that I have a collection of passions when it comes to the environment, how the world functions and human connection. Yet, I have found it difficult to convey that to others in the form of a singular job title or position. Coming to work at Boston Microgreens this summer allowed me to have my foot in a handful of doors: agricultural labor on an urban scale, urban agricultural business management, school program design and outreach, and much more. I found that the specific experiences that I enjoyed the most from this summer while at work with the company were the ones that allowed me to help the business expand into other areas or ones that allowed me to talk with real people about the importance of urban development in the agricultural field. There are definitely individuals who dream of owning and operating their own farming enterprise. At one point in time I wondered if that would be me as well. I think my internship allowed me to find clarity in the way that urban development and agriculture interact is one of my favorite aspects of this field as a whole. I truly believe that if one wants to help others, whether it be on a small or global scale, develop, they must themselves know the inner workings of what they are trying to help set up. I have been given the opportunity to witness first hand how an urban agriculture business is run and how to make it successful. With this knowledge, I have a better ability to go out in the world and help others make the world a more sustainable place due to the fact that I actually know what I am talking about from experience. That in and of itself is something that falls in line with my passions and beliefs as a person. I wouldn’t have been able to see this as clearly if it weren’t for having this opportunity at Boston Microgreens. 

Overall, I learned so much during this summer not only about business and urban farming but about myself and how I hope to approach the world and my future. I feel that having internship experiences are so important for academic and personal development. I am sad to see the experience come to a close, but I look forward to returning to the classroom and ultimately how my discoveries contribute to my academic development and course of study in the coming semesters.