08/17/2026
This summer, 15 young New Yorkers spent six weeks learning, exploring, and gaining hands-on experience across GrowNYC’s programs.
Now that the internship has wrapped, we’re celebrating the students who brought their curiosity, creativity, and passion for their communities to GrowNYC. 💚
Get to know some of this year’s interns and hear what they took away from their summer with us!
Growing up in the Bronx, Adiel has always found comfort in the city’s parks and green spaces. Now, as he heads into his senior year of high school, he’s excited to see a different side of New York: how the city’s food system comes together. Outside of GrowNYC, you can find Adiel listening to music in English and Spanish, cheering on baseball, or exploring a new corner of the city.
Growing up in Queens, Luna has always been surrounded by the energy of New York City. Now, as she prepares to study architecture, she’s interested in another side of the city: the green spaces woven into its urban landscape.
A recent high school graduate, Luna is spending her summer at GrowNYC learning how hands-on work can create a tangible impact in communities. When she’s not at GrowNYC, she enjoys drawing, painting, listening to music, and spending time with friends.
For Luna, protecting the environment mean making sure nature isn’t forgotten as our world becomes increasingly industrialized.
For Katherine, food is more than something we eat - it’s a way to understand where people come from and how communities adapt to the world around them.
A rising college sophomore from the Bronx studying Elementary Education, Katherine is spent the summer exploring NYC through GrowNYC. When they’re not at an internship site, you might find them experimenting with different materials in their sketchbook or getting involved in their community. Katherine believes that food tells a story: it can reveal a community’s culture, traditions, and the ways people make new ingredients their own.
Time spent outdoors has always been a part of life for Vivian. Growing up around community gardens and nature, she developed an appreciation for the environments that bring people and food systems together.
Now a biology stude
