Elena Alvarado

Hi, y’all! My name is Elena Alvarado, and I’m a junior majoring in Cell Biology and Genetics. I learned about the garden the summer before I came to Rice and was so happy to get into “BIOS 204: Community Garden” my sophomore fall! I’ve been TA-ing the course ever since, and also had a great time working in the garden every morning of summer 2025 before I headed into my lab for the day. If I’m not in the garden, you can usually find me in lab, at the football stadium with the MOB (Rice’s fantastic marching band!), or at the best residential college ever, Martel! I would highly recommend taking the Community Garden course (you get to learn a lot!) and generally spending time in the garden - it is one of my favorite ways to unwind!

Anish Jonnalagadda

Hey, I’m Anish! I’m a sophomore majoring in Art and Biosciences with a concentration in Genetics and Cellular Biology. I love being outdoors, whether it’s taking care of plants or rock climbing. Along with taking care of the garden, I’m an active leader of the Rice Cinema club, an avid chess player, and I enjoy weightlifting!

Carmen Lizarraga

Hello! My name is Carmen Lizárraga. Fortunately, I’ve gotten to be a student garden worker all four years of undergrad. Not only do I work at the garden and help to manage classes, permaculture projects, and signage, but much of my professional and academic projects center the garden and green space. I’ve made videos, images, and papers inspired by and featuring the garden, as I truly believe this is one of the most empowering and transformative spaces on campus.

Abigail Jablon

Hi! My name is Abigail, and I am a Jones senior from Atlanta studying Architecture with a minor in Environmental Studies. I started garden work through Dr. Novak’s class in spring of my freshman year, and I have loved spending time here ever since. Outside of getting to know wonderful fellow gardeners, learning about native plants of southeast Texas has been one of my favorite parts of being in the garden. They even inspire pieces of my architecture projects! When I am not gardening (or in studio), you can find me crafting, thrifting, or baking with friends.

Lillian Levi

Hello! My name is Lillian Levi and I am a current freshman at Martel, majoring in biosciences on the premed track. Although I’m relatively new to working at the garden I love coming in and destressing after a long day. I love being outdoors and in nature, and I have a particular interest in birding. Outside of the garden you can find me lifting weights at the rec, participating in various intramural sports, and spending time with friends and family.

Jessica Mack

Hi! My name is Jessica and I’m an English and Art major at Martel. I started as a garden worker in my sophomore year, and then as social media manager last year! I also painted a few signs around the garden. Outside of the garden, I’m usually painting in my studio, thrifting, or fighting the nyt crossword.

Serenity Stepanik

Hi! My name is Serenity Stepanik! I am a junior studying Biosciences with a focus in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and I am also in the process of earning my Masters of Arts in Teaching degree. I enjoy working at the garden as it helps me to reflect on where I am and reminds me of my passion to teach students about biology and the great outdoors! In my spare time, I also volunteer at the Houston Zoo teaching guests about the conservation work the Zoo participates in and share ways that guests can help too.

Lily Hestjean

Hi! My name is Lily Hestjean, and I am a sophomore at Jones Residential College studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Spanish and Environmental Studies. I started working at the garden my freshman year and have since gravitated towards worms. Here at the
garden, I serve as the Vermicompost Unit Manager, where I take care of our working (composting) worm workers. Worms are wild; did you know Red Wiggler Worms can consume half of their body weight in just a day? If I’m not with the wigglers, you might find me biking, hiking, or at the library locking in with friends :)

Kathryn Barry

Hi, I’m Kathryn! I am junior majoring in Cell Biology and Genetics. As a pre-med, health and wellness and happiness fuel my existence. Being outdoors and in nature is my happy place. Fun fact: my nickname is “Cacti” because I am notorious for not drinking enough water. Together, my happy place and nickname have stemmed a passion for all things plants. Beyond school and the garden, I volunteer at Texas Children’s Hospital, play for the Hanszen Intramural Billiards team, and have been patented for several of my dance moves.

Joselyn Lwigale

Hello! My name is Joselyn Lwigale, and I am a senior from Hanszen majoring in the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality and minoring in Medical Humanities. I’ve always loved visiting the garden throughout my years at Rice, and I look forward to working with everyone (and the
plants) this semester. Outside of gardening, I enjoy baking sweet treats, dancing (Zumba at the Rec is my favorite!), and drawing. You can find me volunteering at the Women’s Resource Center on Monday mornings, or checking out too many books from the library.

Karis Williams

Hey y’all! My name is Karis Williams and I’m a senior at Baker College studying biology. I’ve been working at the garden for almost 3 years now and it has been a formative part of my Rice experience. I currently serve as Student Worker Lead. I am also a professional chicken wrangler, native plant fanatic, and bug enjoyer. Outside of the garden, I perform research in an ecology lab (shoutout Miller Lab!) studying native grasses and their symbiotic relationships with fungi. I enjoy painting, hiking, and visiting populations of cool plants.

Sophia Murphy

Hi my name is Sophia Murphy! I am a junior at Jones majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering on the pre-med track. I am extremely passionate about environmental health and all of the ways in which nature is important for our well being. My favorite thing about working at
the garden is being able to learn new things and meet amazing people! Outside of the garden, I hold a leadership position in Rice's Sunrise chapter, volunteer with Kid Power and KAST, and volunteer in the NICU at Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital.

Malachy Pearlman

Hi ya’ll, I’m Malachy. I’m from the suburbs of New York and a freshman at Baker. Beyond giving me a fun and supportive community to be a part of, working at the garden has been a great way for me to connect with nature and unwind from the classroom, where I am double majoring in Philosophy and Cognitive sciences. If I’m not at the garden, you can find me playing for the Rice Lads club soccer team (Go Blue!), reading philosophy, lifting weights, or exploring the Houston food scene.

Norah Cichowski

Hi, my name is Norah! I am a teaching assistant in the garden for the BIOS 204 Community Garden course. I am a junior architecture student with a passion for landscape design as well as soil phytoremediation. I love to incorporate everything I learn in the garden into my own artistic and architectural projects. Besides the garden, I love spending time hiking in the Austrian alps, baking, and sewing. I dream of one day planting a dye garden and dying textiles with my very own plants!

Germany Herrera

Hi, my name is Germany Herrera!! I am a sophomore studying Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a minor in Environmental Studies. I started volunteering at the garden during the Summer of 2025 and fell in love!! My favorite part of the garden is handling the little critters I find and taking silly pictures of the chickens! I am also actively involved in the environmental community on campus and am currently doing research in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

Emma Sjodin

Howdy, my name is Emma and I'm a sophomore at McMurtry majoring in both Mechanical Engineering and Art. I started working at the garden last fall and I've found that spending time there is the best way for me to start the day. I especially enjoy taking care of the chickens. Outside of the garden and school, you can find me spending time with my pets, volunteering with local nonprofits, or crafting.

Sophia Cheng

Hi, my name is Sophia Cheng and I'm currently a freshman from Lovett studying biosciences! I'm originally from Utah, so I love being outdoors and spending time in nature. I really like caring for plants and I hope to be able to raise my own garden someday! I started working in the garden last semester, so I'm really excited to learn more about caring for plants. I also think that there is a really great community here, so one of my favorite parts of the garden is being able to get to know the other student workers while working together on garden tasks. Outside of this, I also like to do crafting, embroidery, and running!

Princess Barge

Jonah Blunt

Sadhana Chari

Jewel Moore-Young

Eva Barnhardt

Kamden O' Connor

Claire Morton

Reece Liu

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