Behind the Scenes: Fallon Johnson

Fallon is a rare breed.  What incredible luck and serendipity that in her travels across the country, her explorations across the landscape of career paths and opportunities, she found us and set down her roots.  Hailing from upstate New York, Fallon has been slowly inching her way West working a myriad of odd jobs. Once she got here, she fit right in.

In our first communications back in November 2014, she began to describe herself and I thought this must be too good to be true. I was wrong. She is just this good:

I’m really interested in nutrition, art, animals, and living simply and sustainably. I love EVERYTHING, probably too much if you ask anyone other than me. I always go out of my way to help those in need even if I myself am struggling. I genuinely care about my neighbor and for the state of this beautiful earth.

Those of you who have worked with Farm School in 2015 have probably seen or been influenced by Fallon, directly or indirectly. She is a completely unpretentious individual who contributes above and beyond without seeking recognition or a spotlight.  The website, this blog, our newsletter, the beautiful photos you see, are largely the work of this incredible individual. Her creative energy bursts our of her in the form of complex lists and jolts of ideas, and she is an excellent example of the curious, innovative “ideal student” we  seek at the Farm School.  In fact, her next words in our first set of emails could be copied over into my description of the perfect student:

I really don’t know what to expect in this experience, but I am going all in with an open heart and open mind. I know that there is hard work ahead and that alone excites me! I love getting my hands dirty. All I can hope is that I am in a safe environment with warm people who are willing to teach their way of life and further inspire me to continue on my journey in this field. I want to learn as much as possible! I am also quite innovative and can contribute as many ideas as one might need, my head is always full of them!

What a wonderful joy it has been living and working with Fallon, watching her learn about soil, botany, and ecology and then overlaying her skills in marketing and outreach to help us create the Practicum Student Program.  I have no doubt this girl is going to go on to continue learning, creating, laughing, and loving, accumulating all of her life’s lessons until she actualizes her dream of building a completely self-sufficient homestead.  I for one, can’t wait to visit.

Thank you Fallon, you are a true hero of the Grange Farm School.