Sociology alumna of College of Wooster builds community through urban farming

“The best three hours of the week were when I was with these kids trying to figure out how to make things grow,” Melena explained.
College of Wooster
Posted in Alumni, Homepage Featured
March 19, 2025.
Excerpt:
At Solidarity Urban Farms, Melena not only handles everyday farming tasks, but also wider reaching projects to ensure the organization’s financial sustainability and build community within the Lorain area. Her farming work is centered on growing flowers, which helps the farm remain financially viable. “I manage the markets, the grant writing, make sure our marketing is successful, and that people know what we’re doing,” she explained. Melena honed many of the skills she uses in her position during her time at Wooster. When grant writing, for example, Melena relies on the project management skills she learned through her Independent Study. “The ability to take a really big project and break it down over time and still have the end goal in mind is something I do all the time,” she said.
Other skills came from her extracurricular activities and leadership positions on campus, such as serving as president of Wooster Activities Crew, the campus programming board that plans, promotes, and produces events for Wooster students. “Event planning, budgeting, people management, and keeping a group on task—these are all things I did at Wooster first, which was really helpful,” Melena said.
Her favorite part of her work, though, comes from knowing that she is part of a supportive community structure, and that Solidarity Urban Farms makes a positive impact in their neighborhood. “I’m not isolated—I’m not farming on 60 acres out in the middle of nowhere,” she explained. “We are just deeply embedded in the community. We have amazing community relationships, and I feel like I really know the people around me, my coworkers, and our community partners.”
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Source: https://cityfarmer.info/sociology-alumna-of-college-of-wooster-builds-community-through-urban-farming/