The Land Connection is sharing a series of blog posts introducing the members of our staff to you, our readers and supporters! Come take a closer look at the heart of our organization: the staff members who work hard to keep TLC thriving. Over the next few weeks, be prepared to see a series of individual profiles of our staff members and get to know The Land Connection a little better! This week meet Amanda, our social media intern!

Summer Intern–Amanda Christenson

I am an Environmental Studies student at Eureka College with a passion for grassroots organizing and ecology. I grew up near a Kyte Creek in a quilt of corn, soybean, and woodland, by a little town in northern Illinois. As a child I remember being in love with the small patch of woods adjacent to the cornfield near my home. Over time I realized that actions of one farmer were significantly affecting the forest I loved. Amphibian habitat became degraded and larger mammals fled when the woodlands were developed and sold. I hope that someday humanity and natural ecosystems can complement each other instead of compete. I grew up loving plants and animals, resulting in a house full of plants and little critters. I became active in student organizations focused on the issues of agriculture and environment. I served as President of my local 4-H chapter, then President of the Green Club at Kishwaukee College, and now as President of Student Alliance for a Greener Environment (SAGE) at Eureka. I find that when passionate people come together in a productive context, amazing things happen! I have recently interacted with “The Real Food Challenge” an organization striving to change the food system by empowering students to investigate the sources of their schools’ food and demanding more ecologically friendly, local, humane, and fair food.  As a result of this group’s momentum, in spring 2013 SAGE designed, built, and planted an edible garden for Eureka College. Lately I’ve been volunteering at Teresa’s Fruit and Herb Farm, which has been amazing! I love working at The Land Connection! My job is to maintain Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest writing about all kinds of things from farms to forks. I also have had the opportunity to learn about obscure vegetables and the organic farming counterculture. Honestly, managing social media is way more fun than work. When I started in January I had been a casual Facebooker with a smartphone and a tablet, but I quickly realized I was just a novice user. Over the last six months, I have become familiar with all kinds of web tools, add-ons, and other social media jargon. It has been astounding to look at the world through the lens of the internet. I am so grateful to have found this job and gained so much experience connecting with people from my position here at The Land Connection.   Aside from my amazing mentors, my favorite sources of inspiration come from Ted Talks. I love the concepts of great minds sharing “Ideas worth spreading” and someday I hope to rise to the occasion and participate in one of their fantastic conferences.  I am looking towards the future, anticipating great things to come that will allow me to evoke the spirit of collaboration into our shared environment. <3