Kristen Dimas standing in the humming bird habitat at Southside Occupational Academy
Southside Occupational Academy horticulture program seeds community

Kristen Dimas, a life-long gardener, used 2020 to invest in her education by completing two University of Illinois Extension training programs in Cook County— the Master Gardener program and the Master Urban Farmer Training Program (MUFTP). Over the past two years, she’s put her new knowledge to work.

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a view of El Paseo's urban farm
El Paseo Community Garden is not just growing food, it's growing leaders and community

Paula Acevedo talks quickly and passionately pointing left and right as we walk through El Paseo Community Garden. “This is a work of love,” says the 2016 graduate of the Master Urban Farmer Training Program, MUFTP.

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