Sociology alumna builds community through urban farming

Amy Melena ’16 came to The College of Wooster with no knowledge or interest in farming, but she did know she wanted to do one thing: build community. Through the mentorship of her professors, leadership opportunities on campus, and connections with other students, Melena gained a new passion that she puts into practice each day as an urban farm manager at Solidarity Urban Farms in Lorain, Ohio.

Melena came to Wooster intending to major in education but sitting in on a class with emeritus professor of sociology and anthropology, Thomas Tierney, as a prospective student, helped her realize that she wanted to continue studying sociology. Tierney became an important mentor for Melena, and she continues to stay in contact with him today. “He saw me through all four years of college,” Melena said. “He was my advisor. I took five classes with him and did multiple service opportunities for him. He guided a lot of the decisions I made while I was at Wooster.” She also completed a minor in religious studies, learning about religions from around the world and throughout history, and how religion intersects with our lives from politics to the environment.  

After leaving Wooster, Melena took part in a year-long service project at a middle school in Boston through the Episcopal Service Corps. While there, she and her co-teacher decided to create a garden for the eighth-grade class they were mentoring. “Nothing grew! But I thought that it was the most riveting thing, and the best three hours of the week were when I was with these kids trying to figure out how to make things grow,” Melena explained. One of Melena’s friends, whom she met at Wooster, then informed her of a food and leadership fellowship at an organization in Austin, Texas, called Urban Roots. Taking a chance and moving across the country, Melena began her work at Urban Roots and fell in love, realizing that she wanted to pursue a career in urban farming. 

Melena found that professors were eager to help her in her new career journey. As she began looking for jobs and information about urban farming, she reached out to Matthew Mariola, assistant professor of environmental studies at the College. “When I first started farming, I emailed him immediately to tell him. He gave me a bunch of book recommendations, and he’s still someone I keep in touch with and is generally a great resource to have,” she said. 

Melena and fellow Wooster alumna, Jenna Smith ’22, work together to carry out Solidarity Urban Farms’ goals.

At Solidarity Urban Farms, Melena not only handles everyday farming tasks, but also wider reaching projects to ensure the organization’s financial sustainability and build community within the Lorain area. Her farming work is centered on growing flowers, which helps the farm remain financially viable. “I manage the markets, the grant writing, make sure our marketing is successful, and that people know what we’re doing,” she explained. Melena honed many of the skills she uses in her position during her time at Wooster. When grant writing, for example, Melena relies on the project management skills she learned through her Independent Study. “The ability to take a really big project and break it down over time and still have the end goal in mind is something I do all the time,” she said. Other skills came from her extracurricular activities and leadership positions on campus, such as serving as president of Wooster Activities Crew, the campus programming board that plans, promotes, and produces events for Wooster students. “Event planning, budgeting, people management, and keeping a group on task—these are all things I did at Wooster first, which was really helpful,” Melena said.

Her favorite part of her work, though, comes from knowing that she is part of a supportive community structure, and that Solidarity Urban Farms makes a positive impact in their neighborhood. “I’m not isolated—I’m not farming on 60 acres out in the middle of nowhere,” she explained. “We are just deeply embedded in the community. We have amazing community relationships, and I feel like I really know the people around me, my coworkers, and our community partners.”  

In September 2024, Melena was invited back to campus to take part in a panel discussion on the importance of relationship-rich education as part of the College’s annual Mortensen Lecture. “I was really flattered to be considered,” Melena said. “So much of my Wooster experience was because of the people—professors, students, and friends. To get to talk about that is such a joy because it was truly the best part of my experience.” 

Posted in Alumni, Homepage Featured on March 19, 2025.