Young Scholar’s Hands-on Organic Farming Experience

Fifteen-year-old Amanda Hall is by her own account “living a life like no other.” She is an accomplished cellist and skier who works hard in school and loves to try new things. Amanda participates in her high school’s student council, the ecology club, and in the school’s branch of Rotary International.

In addition to competing in both alpine and Nordic skiing events, Amanda also plays field hockey and is the only girl on the boys’ lacrosse team. She plays cello with a local fiddle group that performs Acadian and Irish music, plays viola in the high school orchestra (another instrument she’s added recently), and plays both the viola and the cello in a regional orchestra.

“Although all this keeps me busy, there is something else I am really passionate about: my job at an organic farm,” says Amanda. “I began working at the farm two summers ago, and discovered that I’m quite interested in environmental science.” In November 2007, Amanda began applying her interest in the environment through community activism. She organized a “Step-It-Up” rally held at the University of Maine-Farmington’s campus, calling upon political leaders to act on global warming and to reduce carbon emissions. The event was attended by U.S. Representative Mike Michaud and a representative from Senator Olympia Snowe’s office.

As a Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar, Amanda will be working in Brown University’s Environmental Leadership Lab focusing on sustainable development this summer. She will also participate in the Foundation’s Advanced Mentorship Program, through which she will have the opportunity to work with noted public interest attorney Michael Kirkpatrick on issues related to her passion for the environment.

“The Foundation has also allowed me the freedom to develop my passions for music and athletics by encouraging me to step outside the realm of what I know how to do. I’ve been exposed to new people from across the country who, like me, want to achieve their dreams. Without the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation my world would be a lot smaller!”

Amanda lives with her mother, grandparents, and great-grandmother in western Maine.