Every Sugar Bush Foundation project includes funding for OHIO students to be engaged in the region. This real-world learning gives students a sense of connection to the region, a taste of the power of working toward the common good, and professional experiences to add to their portfolio.
Lessons From the Field
Student Spotlight on Jorge Castillo working with the Barbara Geralds Institute for Storytelling and Social Impact
Meet Jorge Castillo, an environmental visual communicator from Ecuador and a second-year MFA student at Ohio University . As the assistant video producer for the Storytelling Institute, Jorge is using his passions to craft stories that inspire change. With the support of the Sugar Bush Foundation, Jorge and his team are sharing impactful stories, blending creativity and professionalism to make a difference. His dedication to storytelling and innovative problem-solving keeps audiences engaged and informed.
Student Spotlight on Peter Makinde working with Farm to Ohio Working Group
Ever wondered about the journey of transforming a farm into a certified organic operation? Graduate assistant Peter Makinde, working under the mentorship of Dr. David Rosenthal, led the effort for the OHIO Student Farm to attain its organic certification. Peter, an environmentalist, shares his passion for sustainable agriculture, the challenges of obtaining organic certification, and this vision for a future where local farmers thrive.
Student Spotlight on Brooke Ripley working with True Pigments
Can pollution attract a student to Ohio University? Graduate Research Assistant Brooke Ripley came to Ohio University to work with the True Pigments project turning acid mine drainage from local streams into pigment used to make artists paint. Brooke harvests the iron oxide from the stream bed and uses it to paint her original pieces of art, completing the connection between art and sustainability.
Student Spotlight of Liz Myers Working with True Pigments
Thanks to Sugar Bush funding, engineering student Liz Myers has been able to turn pollution into paint pigment. Working with True Pigments, in collaboration with OHIO civil engineering professor Dr. Guy Reifler, Liz is using acid mine drainage from polluted streams to create paint pigment and clean up waterways in the process. Watch this video to learn more!
Student Spotlight of Tiffany Harvey Working with Farm to Ohio Working Group
Check out graduate student Tiffany Harvey’s experience working with local farmers! Thanks to SBF funding, Tiffany has been able to help Appalachian producers from the OHIO Student Farm and the Amish Chesterhill Produce Auction to gain certification necessary for OHIO Culinary Services to purchase locally grown produce.
Student Spotlight on Mia Citino Working with AOZWI
Interested in Zero Waste? Watch student intern Mia Citino describe her experience working with the Appalachia Ohio Zero Waste Initiative (AOWZI), a long-time SBF project. AOZWI is a collaboration between Rural Action and the Voinovich School at Ohio University that transforms waste into valuable materials.
Student Spotlight on Lucy Thompson Working with Habitat for Humanity of SEO
Check out student intern Lucy Thompson’s work with Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio. The Sugar Bush Foundation works with Habitat for Humanity and OHIO’s Voinovich School to divert salvageable material from buildings being demolished on OHIO’s campus. In the summer of 2021, students like Lucy helped salvage over 13 trucks of furniture and reusable building materials which otherwise would have gone to the landfill!
Student Spotlight on Chuck Kaminski Working with Passion Works
Watch as OHIO graduate research assistant Chuck Kaminski creates vibrant artworks with Passion Works Studio! Passion Works, an inter-abled art studio in Athens, Ohio, is a is a joy-filled, colorful, and pioneering non-profit. A hub of self-expression, community, and creativity, the studio has transformed from a sheltered workshop into a thriving, independently run studio.
Student Spotlight on Mackenzie Price working with the School of Communication Studies
How do we lift our community up through storytelling? Ohio University teaching assistant Makenzie Price’s work with the OHIO School of Communication Studies explores just that. Funded by the Sugar Bush Foundation, Mackenzie has worked to help narrate local stories through the lens of appreciative inquiry, a skill she says she now brings with her no matter where she goes.
“My scholar experience with the Voinovich School collaborating with the Sugar Bush Foundation-funded Habitat for Humanity project has been invaluable to me because it has diversified my perspective of how profound change is made. The most effective avenues for change had previously been presented to me, through my education and popular media, as international and well-known NGOs. Through this experience, I have been able to observe and participate in the tailored and collaborative change that comes from organizations that are truly grounded in their specific community and their needs. Overall, this has completely shifted my perspective on what I would like my future career to look like, and how I aspire to interact with my community."
—Lucy Thompson, Student Intern with OHIO’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service
“Learning about the Sugar Bush Foundation has been really fun. Not only is it a great way to teach students about qualitative research because the different projects offer so much information to dissect, but also just hearing people talk so passionately about this region of Ohio is really meaningful to students, especially when they are seniors like me who are leaving Athens soon. It is refreshing to hear what Athens stands for outside of the standard university info students hear all of the time. It makes me happy to know that there are people working to improve the community and focusing on highlighting assets instead of fixing problems. It touches my heart to think that there are people who care so much about this place!”
—Elise, COMS 3420: Qualitative Research Methods, Fall 2021
