Congratulations to the 2024 Santa Rosa Garden Club Horticultural Scholarship recipient – Laïla Scala.
Scala, who started Sonoma State this fall, is pursuing a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a “goal of supporting sustainable food systems and ecosystems.”
She plans on using the scholarship to get hands-on professional experiences – putting the knowledge she learns in the classroom into practice by pursuing a Permacutlure Design Certificate at Occidental Arts and Ecology Center and attending courses at the Climate Farm School.
“Regenerative farm courses teach professionals about agroecology and our local food system, which deeply aligns with my goal of supporting sustainable food systems and ecosystems,” Scala wrote. “This scholarship would allow me to deepen my knowledge and contribute further to healing our environment and food systems.”
Scala said her interest in horticulture and caring for the planet began when she was a child. “My journey began in kindergarten, learning to vermicompost and tend a small school garden,” Scala wrote in her essay. Those childhood experiences also included working at local farms and farmers markets, learning sustainable and organic practices, and deepening her love for farming.
Scala got her first farming job at Singing Frogs Farm in Sebastopol, “a no-till, organic, and regenerative farm.” At the farm, she “learned the importance of minimal soil disturbance and using the five soil principles to build healthy ecosystems and sequester carbon.”
After her first farming job, Scala started her own small-scale vegetable plot on her mentor's land. Will Rosenzweig created the Ideagarden, a flourishing Japanese-inspired perennial garden, and nonprofit business, supporting enterprising leaders intent on growing purposeful ventures to transform our food systems. Little did Scala know, she would be sowing seeds to work for Ideagarden later on.
Scala’s experience working on a regenerative farm led her to pursue her new passion at Santa Rosa Junior College, where she worked at SRJC’s Shone Farm and focused on sustainable agriculture and organic farming practices. She supplemented these experiences working locally at private farms to deepen her knowledge and connect with the local community.
Scala’s most recent projects – prior to starting her career at SSU – have been as an intern working on three unique initiatives at the Ideagarden Institute. Plant Futures equips students to become ethical leaders, systems thinkers, and effective advocates for a plant-centric future; Climate Farm School gives professionals a transformative learning experience on regenerative farms; and FARMpreneurs helps mission-driven farmers to thrive and become more strategic, profitable and resilient.
The annual $2,000 Santa Rosa Garden Club scholarship is administered through the Center for Environmental Inquiry and supports students in any discipline pursuing hands-on horticultural learning.
The Center for Environmental Inquiry mobilizes faculty, students and community to solve environmental challenges of the North Bay. To get involved; learn more about our programs, classes, or projects; or to donate, contact Center Director Claudia Luke at lukec@sonoma.edu or visit cei.sonoma.edu.