Grow Further’s long-term success hinges on recruiting and fostering the next generation of food security advocates. That’s why we actively recruit young talent to propel our work forward.
From college campuses to conferences and speaking engagements, our youth volunteers and interns are on the ground manning information booths, networking, and spreading our message of connecting people and ideas for a more food-secure future. The young people at Grow Further are an integral part of our family.
Grow Further is thriving thanks to supporters of all ages, but we understand that our future will be determined in part by the youth volunteers and interns who bring fresh perspectives, curiosity, and a new level of enthusiasm. Below, we highlight some examples of how the younger generation is contributing to Grow Further’s ongoing success. We hope their examples will inspire others in their peer group to join our cause.
We have a tall agenda and ambitious future plans, and that future is more secure thanks to the energy and excitement of our youngest Grow Further team members.
Grow Further–The Next Generation
Recently in Seattle, Grow Further attended the Bloomberg Green Seattle forum. There, we taught attendees about who we are and what we do while meeting with a host of climate action leaders. Though they weren’t present, our youth volunteers and interns were active in the background highlighting our presence.
Prior to this, our Vice President for Development Dr. Venkat Pegadaraju flew to San Diego to present at the Nextgen Healthcare Revolution Conference in San Diego, hosted by TiE. There, our amazing team of student volunteers actively assisted us for nearly 12 hours helping to set up and operate our information stand. They made the rounds taking questions, sharing contact details, and sparking interest and excitement for our work among the audience of health professionals interested in exploring how food security and better public health go hand in hand.
“I had a great time at the conference,” student team member Varsha Kolachina says. “The booth was run really smoothly and we were able to connect a lot of people to Grow Further.”
Venkat’s family are also deeply engaged in our work.
Alongside Varsha, two of Venkat’s nieces, Sneha Aswapathi and Shreya Aswapathi, worked hard to share Grow Further’s story at the Nextgen Healthcare Revolution Conference.
His son Krishna was there, as well.
Krishna has a particularly fascinating story to tell. He founded his own student-led nonprofit, Axeis, an organization dedicated to promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education and innovation. He says Axeis’ mission is closely aligned with our work. Axeis also supports Grow Further directly.
“Axeis contributes to Grow Further’s mission by raising awareness and inviting our members and their families to support agricultural innovation in developing countries,” Krishna explains. “What inspired us most was Grow Further’s focus on science-driven solutions for food security and its commitment to helping smallholder farmers thrive.”
Meet the interns
We would be amiss if we didn’t shine a spotlight on the important role played by our interns. Presently, three college students serve as interns at Grow Further.
Arian Hosseinipour is an incoming junior and business major at Arizona State University. Brought on board as our Lead Generation Intern, Arian is studying entrepreneurship and marketing.
David Wang is our Sustainable Business Intern. He will be a sophomore at Cornell University next fall, where he’s studying environment and sustainability.
And Kevin Yu joined us as our Environmental Innovation Content Intern. Kevin is also a student at Cornell, where he’s studying environmental engineering.
David and Kevin recently produced an excellent promotional video now featured on Grow Further’s YouTube channel. Meanwhile, Arian is keeping busy improving our youth outreach, among other projects.
Arian, David, and Kevin all share a deep interest in improving global food insecurity. They understand tackling this challenge means not only expanding food availability and access to food but also enhancing nutritional outcomes.
“I’m interested in food security because access to nutritious food is a basic human need, yet millions still go without it,” Arian tells us.
David says his passion for improving global food security is deeply rooted in his concern for the exacerbating climate change crisis. “I think food security is one of, if not the most direct result of climate change,” David argues. He stressed how important it is for people to understand that acting on climate change is a necessary first step toward a more food-secure future for all.
Kevin says his decision to pursue an environmental engineering degree is driven in part by his desire to help people, thus his interest in and concern for food insecurity and malnutrition. “As an environmental engineering student, I’m passionate about helping communities manage natural resources more sustainably, and food security is one of the most urgent needs in that effort,” he explains.
Kevin came to Grow Further through existing connections with our organization’s leadership. “I first learned about Grow Further through Peter, who is a longtime friend of my college counselor,” Kevin explains.
David says he found his way to Grow Further through his work at a nonprofit he founded, Planet No.2. He established Planet No.2 to raise awareness of human-driven global warming among youth and was looking to interview leaders in climate action when he stumbled across us.
“I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Peter Kelly,” David recalls. “He shared with me his vision of a sustainable food future that [Grow Further] is actively working towards. I was deeply moved by his aspiration and selflessness, which I believe are the driving forces behind the success of any organization.”
Arian also holds prior experience in the nonprofit world.
As a Growth Intern at Sideshift, Arian led marketing efforts and campus engagement activities, work similar to what he’s doing for us at Grow Further. He also helped the AZAFAP Foundation with its fundraising efforts.
Arian says he was inspired to join Grow Further due to the entrepreneurial nature of how we operate—harnessing the power of individual donors to support innovative research and development to assist smallholder farmers. “What inspired me was hearing stories of people who used entrepreneurial thinking and bootstrapped their way from poverty to success,” he says.
Their next steps
All of the young people supporting Grow Further have big plans for the future. They say their work with Grow Further draws them closer to their long-term goals.
David, our Sustainable Business Intern, aims to expand upon his experience in nonprofit entrepreneurship.
“Last year in April, my organization, Planet No.2, had entered a new phase as we launched our very own foundation aiming to help to start off a global educational campaign,” he explains. “I really wish to continue on that same note.”
Arian is seeking a career in marketing and data analysis. “Long-term,” he says, “I plan to launch my own social media marketing agency and grow it into a successful business.”
Meanwhile, Kevin says he plans to join the green industrial revolution once he completes his college studies. “I’m especially drawn to hands-on, practical work where I can directly apply engineering solutions to real-world environmental challenges.”
David, Kevin, and Arian express confidence that their experiences at Grow Further will arm them with the tools they need to succeed academically and professionally. “Grow Further presents me with an opportunity to immerse myself in this action and gain valuable experience along the way,” David told us.
Axeis founder Krishna agrees. Involvement with Grow Further’s mission “showed us that even as students, we can be part of something global and impactful,” he says.
All of us at Grow Further owe Krishna, Varsha, Shreya, Sneha, David, Kevin, and Arian a debt of gratitude, and we’re excited to welcome more young leaders like them to our organization in the near future. There are plenty of opportunities for future young interns and volunteers to play integral roles in our success, and we will be a much stronger organization for it.
— Grow Further
Photo: Grow Further’s Vice President for Development Venkat Pegadaraju and a team of youth volunteers at the Nextgen Healthcare Revolution Conference in San Diego.