Here at the UW Farm, we are very invested in building a strong community with the participants of the Farm. This community doesn’t stop after you graduate. We love checking in with students who have graduated to see what they’re up to now. Once a month, we will be posting profiles of UW Farm alumni.

Name: Kay Chai
Graduation Class: 2014
Major in Psychology (B.S)
Minor in Philosophy

How were you involved with the Farm?

I first stumbled upon the Farm when walking on the Burke-Gilman Trail, and I remember telling myself that I will become a UW Farmer because the aura of the place was so positive and when I first met the farmers then, I was enchanted by their kindness and friendliness. I started volunteering on the farm when I was a freshman, beginning with taking care of the chickens when there were still chickens on the farm, and then moving on to work on the Dirty Dozen Crew. I was also Social Media Coordinator for a year, succeeding Michelle Harvey. I became too busy with school work (excuse for bad time management!) so I rarely participated in farm activities for two years, but then I came back in the summer of my senior year and became Compost Coordinator.

What did the Farm do for your college experience? What did the Farm mean to you?

The farm was a place of healing, community, and joy for me. Winter depression hit me really hard during my first year because I hailed from the tropics, and working on the farm, touching the earth and experiencing the tender bliss of helping a young, frail little seedling to grow into healthy thriving plant were incredibly grounding and healing. I call it “FARMacological treatment”, in contrast to pharmacological treatment! Aside from the inherent joy of working on the farm, I also met so many passionate, brilliant peers who became not only my best friends but also my informal teachers on food justice and sustainability. Some of the most enjoyable experiences I had on the farm were going on leadership retreats and delving deep into the mission of the farm as a classroom for students, reviving the farm’s vermicompost project, and conducting a mini controlled experiment to assess the efficacy of UW Farm compost at improving plant growth (read about it on our blog!).

Being a UW Farmer completely changed my relationship to food. It helped me feel connected to the food I eat, appreciate the hard work of all those who labor hard to bring food to our tables, and experience eating as a communal, joyful activity. Moving to the US was hard for me from a dietary perspective because suddenly I had reduced access to foods I was used to in my culture and a flood of exposure to various kinds of foods with weirdly named ingredients. Working on the farm and learning about food helped me understand the importance of eating locally, eating fresh and choosing responsibly grown produce, and so helped me make better choices about my diet.

What are you doing now?

I am now a Clinical Psychology PhD student at Duquesne University, and my experience at the farm has made me so much more aware of the importance of a healthy diet (not in the sense of a scientifically derived formula, but being connected to food and making clear-headed, responsible choices) to maintain a healthy psyche. It has also motivated me to consider the therapeutic potential of farm work especially as an activity to help people with eating disorders see their foods not as enemies but as gifts of the earth that their own hands can help to bring to fruition  – possible dissertation material! I am also starting a backyard garden with my roommate.

Anything else you’d like to tell new farmers?

There is no such thing as a major or field unrelated to farm work. Don’t be afraid to use your skills, talents and gifts to help the farm grow, and in the process, you will also grow as a person.