Heather's planting amazing seeds. How about you?

Back when Heather Oakley was a graduate student in New York, and teaching kids in Harlem, she noticed a disconnect between what she was learning at Columbia and what was actually happening in the schools.

“I wanted to teach children in poverty that their decisions could have an impact,” Heather says. “I realized the scientific method – the process of critical thinking – could help empower them to move beyond their situation.”

In 2007, Heather founded Global Gardens, a non-profit that teaches hands-on science through gardening, at Eugene Field Elementary. It has since expanded to Rosa Parks Elementary and the Union 6th and 7th grade center, serving more than 1,300 children in all.

“We use the garden as a safe platform to make decisions – to fail, ask questions, try again,” Heather says. “The students learn that no one can do it alone. The sun gives the plants energy, the rain provides the water, the soil nourishes the plants, and they each do an important job. They’re part of a larger community and when those shoots come up, they see they’ve positively impacted the whole garden. And then they think, oh, maybe I can do something else important for the world?”

While Heather still reads the New York Times, she “has to see the Tulsa World front page every day. And the World is so thorough with local education and social issues. It’s by far the best way to keep up.”