I am beyond grateful to have been able to spend my summer in Washington D.C. with the NASDA Foundation. It was an unforgettable experience filled with learning, growth and meaningful connections.
This summer I had the chance to support the Foundation team on several impactful grant projects, including the Northeast Regional Food Business Center, Farm2Food Accelerator, EPA Gulf of Mexico Farmer-to-Farmer and the Pesticide Inspector Residential Training. Through this work, I got a firsthand look at how NASDA coordinates with different levels of government to carry out various agricultural programs, how teams adapt to obstacles and what it's like to be part of a collaborative, mission-driven environment.
One of the highlights of my summer was visiting Tennessee, where I met with farmers working to improve water quality in the Cumberland River watershed. Hearing directly from them about their experiences and the process of implementing sustainable practices gave me a deeper, real-world understanding of how sustainability and agriculture intersect.
Another highlight was traveling to Montana for the third PIRT training session. Before the event, I helped coordinate participant travel and assisted with planning and logistics. While on-site, I gained a deeper understanding of the pesticide inspection process and pesticide labeling, and joined field visits, including a tour of a cherry farm where we observed different approaches to crop and pesticide management in practice.
As my final project, I've been helping with the upcoming NASDA Next Gen cohort attending NASDA's 2025 annual meeting. This is especially meaningful to me, as I had the opportunity to participate in the past two cohorts myself. It is exciting to now be on the other side, helping others have the same great experience.
The supportive and collaborative atmosphere at NASDA made this summer extremely memorable. The way the policy, operations and Foundation teams worked together gave me the chance to collaborate with other interns and learn about the work happening across the organization.
