Tess Faller

Temple, NH

What has been your favorite class at COA? Why?

Spanish 1 with Karla (because I went from speaking no Spanish to being proficient enough to study in Mexico, in 10 weeks, and had a blast). Great Letters with Candice Stover (because Candice was a passionate and invested teacher, my classmates were hardworking but funny, and we sat in the Turrets garden reading letters out loud in the spring sun every class). Every class Nishi taught (Trees and Shrubs, Ethnobotony, etc. -- because Nishi was a dynamic, intellegent and constructively challenging teacher, with a huge heart and a real commitment to getting his students out into the field, involved and engaged). But, honestly, I've been pretty excited about and appreciative of nearly every class I've taken here.

What classes have you taken at COA?

Human Ecology Core Course

Life Drawing Ecology: Natural History

Dance

Advanced Comp.

Methods of Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum

Bio 1

Native American Lit.

Gardens and Greenhouses

Yoga

Groupstudy: Spanish 1

Trees and Shrubs

Human Ecology of Wilderness

Yucatan Program

Painting the Figure

Ethnobotany Agriculture and Biotechnology

Spanish 2

Watercolor

Classic Shorts

Great Letters

Art of Natural History

Piloting and Navigation

Spanish 3

Ceramics

Philosophy

Spanish Independent Study

Contemporary Culture of ME Organic Farmers

Mountain Poets of China and Japan

What was your favorite lesson/lecture/discussion/project at COA? Why?

Designing and planting a group garden with classmates during Suzanne's Gardens and Greenhouses class - a tangible, fun, at times overwhelming but ultimately really satisfying group project.

What is your dream occupation?

Run my own small, diverse, and organic New England farm.

Do you work on or off campus? If yes, where?

At Beech Hill, in the Writing Center, and as a TA for Karen, Nishi, and Suzanne.

What do you see yourself doing after COA?

Farming

What is happiness to you?

A loving family, fulfilling work, health, good friends, a beautiful day, and a carrot fresh out of the garden.

Have you had an internship? If so, doing what? Where? If not, what are your plans, if any, for your internship?

Yep, I interned in Argentina at an organic farm and permaculture center called Finca el Peregrino.

What are your ideas for your senior project? If you have already done one, what did you do?

I'm a week from finishing - a book of illustrated letters sent while farming for 13 weeks at 5 small, organic, and very different farms in Chile.

What do you like to do when you're not doing school work?

Hike, swim, kayak, garden, read, chat with friends, drink coffee and laze around outside.

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

The egg.

Who is your favorite fictional hero?

Sal in "Blueberries for Sal."

Who are your favorite writers? Poets?

Wendell Berry, Pablo Neruda, Annie Dillard, Barbara Kingsolver, Micheal Pollen, E B White, Diane Ackerman, Sue Hubbell, Isabel Allende...