Since I was 13 and first heard about how magical Isabella Freedman is, I was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to visit. As a senior in college, unsure about what was to come post-graduation, I came up to staff a JYCM teen retreat. It was mid-March, cold, and nothing looked alive.

Immediately upon arriving, I felt a deep sense of peace and intrigue, like I had landed in the right place.

After an hour of looking out at Lake Miriam and walking through the farm for a tour, I had an intrinsic knowing that this place, this way of life, and the land were calling to me. I started an application to the Farm Fellowship as soon as I got back to school.

I don’t quite know what I was looking for—it was just a feeling that this was right. Part of me had heard how lonely many feel after college, and I was excited to be part of an intentional community, something I’ve always cared about building, and to make new close friends. I was also burned out from climate justice work and toxic productivity culture and wanted to realign with why I care about the earth—by cultivating a close relationship with the land, putting my hands in the dirt, and doing the work of farming.

I finished the Adamah Farm Fellowship eight months ago and still feel ripples of gratitude, spirituality, and love. The relationships I built here are gifts that keep giving. I don’t know what comes next, but I know Adamah will play a role in it. We are all standing on holy ground. This is our time to lead.