The most intriguing and passionate people find a way of connecting with us here at Blackwood. We love getting to foster relationships with the ever-curious and create space for them to support our work at Blackwood. This summer, we’re delighted to have two interns to help us manage Blackwood day-to-day operations, and to also leave a legacy for the future of what our campus will become.

 

We’d like to introduce you to Kevin and Stuart!

 

Kevin Church

Kevin didn’t so much apply for his internship as it was a continuation of his ever-expanding relationship with Blackwood. Kevin is a beekeeper and Cath reached out to ask him to help manage and expand the number of current hives at Blackwood. After that, he got involved in a few of our spring school events and then was asked to come onboard for the summer.

 

Kevin loves the Blackwood campus and its intricacies. This summer, he’s hoping to learn what it takes to achieve this level of complexity and perfection. Along with that, Kevin expects to learn to the management skills necessary to run a large operation like Blackwood. He also hopes to experience the farming process more.

 

When this summer is over, Kevin will have, hopefully, expanded the number of hives Blackwood has and created a comprehensive guide to allow someone in the future to manage them ethically and effectively. At summer’s end, Kevin will continue to pursue a mechanical engineering degree at Tarletan State University.

 

Stuart Miller

Stuart has been a part of the Blackwood family for many years. He’s been here as both a counselor at Summer Nature Camp and as a farm volunteer. When he was looking for more ways to spend time here this summer, we suggested he apply for an internship.

 

This summer, Stuart hopes to learn what the production side of a small farm looks like. In that pursuit, Stuart is hoping to facilitate Blackwood’s process in getting livestock and maintaining them. He hopes that if we do get livestock, he can help us make this process well-educated and successful.

 

At the end of the internship, Stuart will do a reciprocal exchange program with the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.