SUMMER 2021 YOUTH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM – WEEK 3: REFLECTIONS ON GRIT

Tropical Storm Elsa couldn’t rain on Week 3 of the YIP. Despite the Monday holiday and a modified schedule on Thursday for the storm, the short week was still filled with lots of learning, teamwork, dedication and grit.

We kicked off the week with lessons and garden work centered around compost. We were joined by Betsy, from the Coastal Conservation League, who educated our team about composting and waste management at the municipal level as well as the importance of environmental advocacy. In our culinary lesson, our interns learned about seasonal eating and made a delectable summer salad that featured a mix of summer veggies, including Green Heart grown tomatoes, basil, and figs, topped with a honey lemon dressing. The week ended with another Friday Field Trip, and this week we visited the Clemson Coastal Research and Education Center, where we learned about some of the agricultural science and projects currently being researched with the USDA.

Grit, our theme of the week, was practiced daily by our interns and we also asked them to reflect on how the theme has played into their internship thus far. Check out below to see what Leddy, our intern of the week, and her fellow interns had to say!

BIO

Leddy is a rising senior at Academic Magnet High School. She enjoys running, making music, and being outdoors. This is her first year with Green Heart and is so excited to make a difference this summer!

REFLECTING ON GRIT

“One time I have relied on grit so far in this internship was when we had to clean up the garden beds where a host of tomatoes had fallen to the ground and rotted. They had been baking in the sun attracting bugs until they were basically mush and would fall apart into a pile of insects when picked up. Needless to say, it was extremely gross. The general consensus among the interns was that we did not want to clean up those beds even a little bit. It had to be done, though, to maintain the garden for us and the residents of the Enston Home. I found that thinking of all the good I was doing for my community made it a lot easier to tough it out in this situation and others where I was tired or unmotivated to work hard. This made me realize that although grit can be the willingness to struggle through hard circumstances, it can also take the form of having the courage to think positively. Both physically and mentally, grit is essential to making positive change in the garden and elsewhere.”

ADDITIONAL REFLECTIONS & INSIGHTS ON GRIT:

“Grit is to be able to put in continuous effort and work even when something like tiredness may hinder you, you continue to push through.” – JP

“When applying for a job, grit is an essential soft skill in both the workplace and in general life. When an employee shows bold grit, it entails that the employee is willing to work diligently through every obstacle, persevere through the challenges, and accomplish the tasks before them. So, by exemplifying grit as an employee, the employer will immediately know what you’re capable of.” – Michelle

“I have learned that grit can be showed in many different ways other then just getting your job done.” – Aaron

“Understanding how to act around others, the importance of motivating each other and being a good communicator with my crew members has really allowed me to understand the importance of grit. We push and help each other together, which requires a lot of grit.” – Alma