Natalia Rathbun
Growing up in Ithaca NY, Natalia found a passion for agriculture during her first season at the Youth Farm Project in 2011. This led her to pursue a degree in International Ag and Rural Development at Cornell, giving her the opportunity to work on farms in the US and abroad. She later returned to the Youth Farm in 2018, this time as the Assistant Farm Manager, hoping to empower folks with more knowledge and choice over how food and medicine comes to them. Natalia is deeply inspired by the social movements and hard work of young people, and she hopes to only promote mutual care in a world where community = safety. She is currently undergoing an herbal mentorship with the hopes of doing clinical work and offering consultations to her community. |
Simon Warhaft
Born outside the U.S., Simon has lived in Ithaca, New York since he was a couple of months old. After attending Lehman Alternative Community School for junior high and high school, Simon attended Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Simon interned on Guilford's farm his sophomore year, inspiring his studies in agriculture, food justice, and social justice. This experience led to his involvement with the Youth Farm Project for 5 years, where he started in its first year as part of the summer program, eventually becoming a crew member, a crew leader, youth coordinator, and the assistant farm manager. |
Rayna Joyce
Rayna has lived in Ithaca for her whole life. While attending LACS she was inspired by the “Localvores” group, and began working at the Youth Farm during the 2012 summer program as a crew member. Rayna continued her work on the farm through 2013, eventually acting as the youth and market coordinator in 2015. Rayna organized the construction of the Youth Farm’s mobile market stand as her senior project. Rayna is currently attending the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, where she is focusing on the connection between sustainable agriculture, environmental sciences and social justice. |
Joseph Amsili
Joseph, an Ithaca native and LACS graduate, has been involved at the Youth Farm Project since 2011, where he has worked both as a crew leader and as the assistant farm manager and educator in 2013 and 2014. In 2015, Joseph headed a ¼ acre plot at the Youth Farm that focused on growing and selling high value crops to support the Youth Farm’s mission and to provide curriculum about farming as a business. Joseph is currently pursuing a Masters degree in soil science and agronomy at Penn State University. |