"Hello all you beautiful individuals! My name is Dominique and I'm a co-coordinator for the Students for Organic Solutions campaign.  I’m a third year here at UC Santa Cruz, majoring in Environmental Studies and History of Art + Visual Culture. I got involved with the Student Environmental Center my second year as an intern, and am currently enjoying another quarter full of strengthening and empowering our community. I love our campus gardens, good food, and spending time with so many inspiring individuals. Feel free to contact me at dtteixei@ucsc.edu."

Greetings! My name is Rachel Russell, although I go by Renee. I am a first year at College Eight, as well as a Proposed Linguistics major (in the future, a Language Studies major), and I come from Southern California (from Whittier and Murrieta, respectively). In Murrieta, I worked with political organizing group Organizing for America for roughly a year and a half, and helped in the creation of my high school's Earth Club garden for the four years of high school. Currently, I serve as co-coordinator for the campaign Students for Organic Solutions (or SOS); last quarter, my first quarter at UC Santa Cruz, I served as Gardener's Alliance intern for SOS. In the two quarters I have been here, I have found interning and working for the Student Environmental Center to be a rewarding, fulfilling experience. Being here, afterall, gives me the opportunity to start working towards leaving a positive impact on the world! It also gives me the opportunity to get to know some amazing, dedicated individuals and to better get to know my university! Ultimately, I hope to utilize my experiences with the Student Environmental Center, my fascination with the field of linguistics, my respect for Nature, my respect and concern for the non-human animals that share this planet with us, and my experiences with OFA in order to leave a positive dent on this world and to grow as a person. Oh, and when not concerned with either classwork or work with the Student Environmental Center, I enjoy reading (preferably non-fiction, historical fiction, or historical essays), drawing, and listening to metal (yes, I am indeed a headbanger). You're welcome to e-mail me at rarrusse@slugmail.ucsc.edu.

Hello there, I am Christiana Paoletti, a College Eight freshmen here at UCSC, fresh from an organic agricultural community in the middle-of-nowhere near Davis. I am a proposed English Literature major, interested in sustainability and environmental studies, as well as a strong advocate of the slow food movement and proud vegetarian since birth! I am easily entertained, love the outdoors, reading, music, and traveling most of all. This is my second quarter with the Student Environmental Center, and my first as the Web and Media Coordinator. This means that I am the girl who tries to keep up with maintaining this wonderful website and send out our newsletters! Working with the SEC has been a great experience from the start, and the perfect opportunity to give back to our campus. Feel free to email me or stop by the Stevenson Cafe, Tuesdays from 2:30-3:30 or Wednesdays from 12:30-1:30, to talk about the meaning of life, favorite foods, or of course anything SEC Web and Media related!

Hello curious people, I am a Sociology major and Politics minor at our beautiful campus. I come from the foothills of our stoic Sierra Nevada Mountains just northwest of Yosemite. Growing up in a very rural area I have had a chance to learn from observing nature and have gained a genuine appreciation for our organic environment. Much can be learned from the nobility of an oak tree, the forceful ease of a river, the vitality of soil, and the colorful balance of life on earth. I use my free time to climb trees and rocks, practice yoga, enjoy mountain biking, summertime backpacking, white-water rafting, learning about empathetic communication, and engaging in ethical and philosophical dialog with other thoughtful people. As for my formal academic study, my current inquiries surround the complexities of the human condition. I plan to work on community development in severely impoverished regions of Africa after UCSC. My activism is at its foundation aimed at social, economic, and political transformation. My current activist projects/engagements are twofold: I am attempting to help shape UCSC to better fit the earth it sits on and the people that enliven the space with the SEC’s Green Building Campaign. I also plan to study abroad next Fall researching economic development in Accra, Ghana of West Africa and write about my experiences in a senior thesis. If any of this sounds worth talking about, engaging with, or simply interesting, please contact me! My phone number is (209) 753-8893 and my email is cbwatts@ucsc.edu. Thanks for reading!

Hello my lovely people my name is Thania Avelar, I am the College Eight Garden Co-Facilitator.  I am a junior and a Plant Science major here at UCSC. This is my first year with the Student Environmental Center and I couldn’t be happier with this wonderful opportunity. I got involved with the SEC and College Eight Garden by being apart of the garden class offered by C8. I then realized that I wanted to be more than just a student and the position of another facilitator was being offered. My love for plants has guided me to where I am today. The amount of vegetation here in Santa Cruz is amazing, coming from the city of Los Angeles, I have an appreciation for the amazing flora here. Besides my love for plants I enjoy reading, running, and blogging. If you’re interested in what I do or just want to chat about life feel free to visit me on Wednesday’s at the C8 garden from 3 to 4 pm.

Salutations! My name is Maryna Sedoryk and I am currently the College Eight Garden Co-Facilitator. I am a junior Environmental Studies and Biology combined major with an interest in the future health and diversity of freshwater and marine ecosystems. This is my first quarter as a member of the Student Environmental Center and I am truly looking forward to participating in all the wonderful things they do for our campus. My interest in teaching the garden class has its roots in growing up right across the bay in Monterey, where I was constantly surrounded by fresh, local, organic produce. After coming to UCSC, I realized that most people did not have the same food opportunities, and many had no idea where their food comes from or what is requires to get it to their dinner plate. After working in the garden for 2 quarters as a student cultivating my "green thumb", I jumped at the opportunity to become a co-coordinator. This position allows me to share with others the experience of interacting with the environment in a way that has direct benefits to our health - fresh food to eat! If you ever want to chat, please feel free to email me at msedoryk@ucsc.edu, or stop by the College 8 Garden on Mondays from 12-1:30pm; I welcome any and all conversation, be it about the garden, unusual deep sea creatures, or random musings on life.