LAWNDALE, Calif. — There’s something about consciously planting seeds and watching it grow, that grabs Leuzinger High School student’s attention. It’s an effort and creation Gloria Sanchez couldn’t be happier to learn more about on her own campus in Lawndale.

“It's already sprouting it’s beautiful. It’s amazing,” Sanchez said.

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Sanchez is in her final year at Leuzinger High School. She’s a part of the Environmental Careers Academy Green Alliance Club on campus that helps students make environmentally-conscious choices. 

“I’ve always been closer to nature and I think people need to experience that too, to also open their mind and be like, ‘Wow this is actually a thing. We can actually go garden in our own little school,'”Sanchez said.

Sanchez and other students have tried to grow their own garden in the past. But they needed a garden educator to guide them and help them learn more about the proper way of gardening. That’s when GrowingGreat began to plant seeds of gardening education at the school. The nonprofit teaches low-income children and students ages 2-18 living in food deserts about the variety of fruits and vegetables available and how to grow their own garden to make healthier and nutritious choices.

Sharon Cohen is the garden educator on-campus, she meets with students each week to teach them about the proper way to provide spacing when planting seeds with a grid system and how to tend to the garden.

“If they watched it grow they will then harvest it, taste it and that will encourage that habit or growing your own food. It’s not as hard as it might sound. It’s accessible and it’s certainly economical,” Cohen said.

The growth of this garden has already made an impact on students like Sanchez. 

“Isn’t it cool? Like when you get to see your own work actually be like brought up and brought into life? I think it’s an awesome experience that everybody should have one opportunity in their life to do,” Sanchez said.

It will take some time for these seeds to grow, but when they do these students will learn how to create their own food on their own no matter where they live.