Abby Kelson is fourth-year Science student majoring in psychology

1. What was your summer internship?

I was the summer intern at Axil Gardens where I had the role of an organic farm assistant. Axil Gardens is a fully organic farm located in Quispamsis, NB. It aims at educating and inspiring the community to grow and harvest their own food. Axil Gardens provides various services such as educating children with weekly kid’s camps, weekly food shares, providing local produce to restaurants, and many other services to help clients produce their own food right at home.

2. How did the pandemic affect your internship?

COVID-19 only made the importance of cultivating your own food more important! Now more than ever, with shortages in grocery stores, people are turning to their back yards to grow and harvest food, as well as seeking locally-grown food. We continuously harvested food for the community, which was great for Axil Gardens. Moving forward I believe the community will see how important gardening can be and you will see an increase in home gardening.

3. What was your favourite part of your internship experience?

This is a hard question — I loved all of it! If I must pick on aspect of working at Axil Gardens that I loved the most it would have to be learning how to cultivate and harvest my favourite vegetables, so that I can grow them right at home in the future. I also loved the work environment and being able to always be outside and have a very hands-on job.

4. What extracurriculars are you involved in on- and off-campus?

On campus I have been involved in a few clubs and societies, including Health Care Outreach, Right to Play MtA, Best Buddies MtA, and the SMILE program. Off campus I am very passionate about volunteering as well. I volunteer at Brigadoon Village being a camp counsellor for kids living with crohn’s and colitis. I have also been an active volunteer with Horizon Health and Fundy regional special Olympics for many years.

5. What is one piece of advice you would give to your first-year self?

Do things that scare you! Go out of your comfort zone and get involved. As cliché as it sounds, getting involved in your university will make your overall four years unforgettable and you will meet amazing people who share similar interests.