Summer 2024 Furman Intern: Maggie Kelleher

Maggie Kelleher is our 2024 Summer Garden Intern from Furman University. Our interns work with us Monday-Friday, spending the first half of their day in the garden and the second half helping out in the soup kitchen, culinary school or with office work. Maggie has been and continues to be a fantastic addition to our summer team! Learn more about her below and her experiences so far.

Where are you originally from? Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

I am from Athens, GA and have lived there my entire life until coming here to Furman University. I am a rising junior in the class of 2026 and I enjoy beekeeping, thrifting, and learning new things!

What’s your major and what do you hope to do in the future? 

I am a double major in Sustainability Science and Philosophy. I am not sure what I want to do as a career, but I know it will be in the sustainability field. I love how environmental and social issues are addressed in the field, both of which I have always been passionate about.

How did you learn about Project Host and what drew you to our organization?

I learned about Project Host through Furman University’s Shi Institute. I was really interested in how many components there are with the garden, soup kitchen, culinary school, and the overall mission of helping people with food. I think Project Host does a lot of good for the community and I was excited to see the inner workings of the organization.

What have you learned through your work at Project Host? What’s been your biggest takeaway so far? 

I did not have much gardening experience before I started at Project Host, but I have learned a lot about the upkeep. It’s really cool to see how quickly the garden changes on a daily basis. 

Favorite plant or flower? 

I really like onions because they taste great and are also very satisfying to harvest.

Fun fact about yourself!

I’m the president of the Bee Club at Furman and would love to have hives of my own in the future!

What’s some good advice you’d give to a new intern? 

I would advise a new intern to be very communicative with everyone you work with. It is very important that everyone you work with knows if you’ll be missing a day or if anything changes with your schedule so that they can plan accordingly. Also, make sure that you are taking plenty of needed breaks for yourself in the garden. It can get really hot out there and it’s important to stay hydrated!