Carlie LaughlinAs a land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky’s role is to improve the lives of people throughout the Commonwealth through service, education and health care. Through a collaboration with local agritourism company Black Soil, a group of students from the UK College of Nursing have taken up the mantle to deliver health education to Lexington’s communities of color.
Black Soil is an organization founded to reconnect black Kentuckians to their legacies and heritage through agriculture. Urban families are brought together with black farmers, growers and producers across the state to help introduce opportunities in agriculture that promote self-sufficiency, encourage healthy living and activate cooperative economics.
Megan Walden, an instructor in the College of Nursing, was looking for new clinical opportunities for her students, as well as ways to and serve the community. She connected with the staff of Black Soil through social media and immediately struck up a rapport with them. Together, they brainstormed ways for students to get involved.
Black Soil really works with the students’ passions. If a student is passionate about something, such as sustainability or food insecurity, they’re so open to really helping them grow and find their own way. I was just very fortunate to kind of stumble into Black Soil and the amazing work they’re doing.”
Megan Walden, College of Nursing
