Hello and welcome to Fall from this year’s Advanced Leadership Cohort!

It’s a season full of loss and transformation as we witness the trees change and lose their colorful leaves, feeling the wind embrace us with its gentle touch provoking the warmth in our spirits to emerge. Fall is a time of change, loss, and reflection that invites everyone to rethink, rebuild, and prepare to come alive in advance of winter months.

The season is an appropriate comparison to the changes and growth taking place within our Advanced Leadership Cohort. Every year, we encourage our students to challenge themselves to the point of transformation. They fine tune their palates as they gear up to host their first professional pop-up nearing the end of the semester. We have an amazing group of youth dedicated to improving their many talents, reviving their communities, and having the difficult conversations that come with food justice work.

There will be hard times, triumph, accountability, and transformation, much like the trees, but the outcomes will be nothing short of unbe-leaf-able!

Kamaria Gray
Advanced Leadership Program Coordinator