Photographing people and their lives is inspirational to me. Everyone has their own personal story, and when you capture someone’s life through a camera, it becomes a public story. That’s what photography is to me. Through my lens, I am able to visually represent a person’s story.

My interest in photography began on a road trip from North Carolina to the Grand Canyon in an RV with my family and my soon-to-be new best friend, a little digital camera. I was 11 years old, and my life was all about exploring and being outdoors. To have a camera to document every inspiring thing around me was mind blowing. By my senior year in high school, photography had become more than a hobby, and I knew that I wanted to pursue it as a career.

I just graduated from Randolph Community College with a degree in photojournalism. Two years of intense education for photography was hard, yet amazing, and required me to complete two photography internships. When I applied to be a photojournalism intern at The Conservation Fund, I didn’t know all the things I do now about land conservation or Resourceful Communities’ “triple bottom-line”—an approach that generates economic, environmental and social justice benefits. To be honest, I was out of sorts the first week in the office. An arts college doesn’t teach you how to write a formal email, coordinate phone meetings, or even how to use a copy machine. It’s okay to laugh—I figured it all out with the help of my terrific supervisor Kathleen Marks. Among other things, my internship at the Fund taught me how to work in a professional environment all while doing something I love—photography!

When I wasn’t in the office, I was out in my natural habitat—taking pictures. My assignment this summer was to document the different programs supported by Resourceful Communities. I traveled all around my home state of North Carolina with my camera and captured the work of different community organizations. Many of these programs were started in rural North Carolina, where people often experience economic poverty as well as rich natural resources. It was so rewarding to be able to document these people, programs and places and to visually tell the story of what they do and how they are making an impact on their communities. Here are photos from some of my favorite summer site visits.

In Carrboro, North Carolina at Transplanting Traditions Community Farm—a non-profit organization that works with refugee farmers to reduce food insecurity, grow culturally appropriate foods and strengthen agricultural enterprise skills—I documented farmers and watched them work so hard to maintain their farm. The majority of the workers are refugees from Burma, which makes this farm interesting because they grow food that is native to them. The Conservation Fund’s Resourceful Communities program has supported Transplanting Traditions with small grants and capacity building, and engages the group as peer presenters to help share lessons learned across communities. Photo by Olivia Jackson.

Second Harvest is supporting local farmers and getting folks out to Caswell County Local Food Council's Semora market. They also hold cooking and nutrition classes where participants can learn how to stretch their food dollars and cook healthier. In this image a woman is happily holding up the finished product from their cooking class. Resourceful Communities supports this innovative partnership through small grants and capacity building to advance community health; both organizations will host a peer learning visit soon to discuss unique collaborations that promote the local economy and alleviate hunger. Photo by Olivia Jackson.

The Town of Aurora, North Carolina is a wonderful place full of wonderful people. Every Saturday they have their market where the community can come together to support local farmers and learn more about what's going on in their town. The Aurora Market engages in Resourceful Communities’ network events and received its first small grant this year. The Fund is also working to connect market leaders with business planning support. Rural markets keep the land in production and support small farmers while strengthening food access in food deserts. Photo by Olivia Jackson.

A Time For Science makes it their mission for their camps and activities to help children get engaged and connect with nature and science while having fun. While I was there, I got to experience and photograph the great things that they do, such as getting to know local wildlife on nature hikes. The children in this photo were fascinated by the size of the tiny turtles. Resourceful Communities supported A Time for Science with a small grant aimed at increasing access and participation by low-income youth. Photo by Olivia Jackson.

Little Bud Thorbs helps kids in Kinston, North Carolina get out and learn how to farm, or like in this picture, learn how to fix an old tractor. They have a great program to help their community. Little Bud participates in network capacity building and one-on-one technical assistance to strengthen their organization and programming. A small grant this year helped them secure support from Kubota so maybe that old tractor will get a shiny new companion soon! Photo by Olivia Jackson.

My journey with The Conservation Fund’s Resourceful Communities program has been truly inspiring. I feel like I have grown as a photographer this summer, and I am so happy that I got to combine my love for telling stories and photography by visiting these programs and learning about their important community conservation work. Land and water are the backbone of these groups’ efforts. I hope that each image tells a story and imparts a feeling that compels the viewer to want to learn more about what was going on that day. I met some powerful, yet humble people, and I hope that through my photos that I have given a little something back to these people who work so hard every day. The Conservation Fund is making a difference around North Carolina—and across the country—and has also made a difference in my life, too. I am truly glad that I had this opportunity.