Angelika Joseph
Having lived in Lakeside for a year, I have truly thrived and flourished within the community spaces that make Lakeside so special. From gathering with friends at the BBQ space to playing volleyball on the court, these shared spaces have helped shape my graduate experience and foster a strong sense of community (especially for my puppy Pepper)!
I enjoy organizing and coordinating spaces that bring people together, and I would be excited to help cultivate the garden as another welcoming and vibrant community space this summer and beyond.
I bring to this position lots of gardening experience. My garden back home in California provided our family with lemons, apples, figs, limes, pears, persimmons, plums, chard, rosemary, collard greens, potatoes, tomatoes, and eggs from our seven chickens. Gardening keeps us grounded, and I look forward to supporting the continued growth, care, and enjoyment of the Lakeside garden for residents.
Yuqi Zhang
My name is Yuqi and I am a third year CS PhD student. I’m excited to nominate myself for Garden Coordinator for our community garden.
This is now my second growing season participating in the garden, and it has become one of my favorite parts of the Lakeside community. Over the past seasons, I’ve enjoyed learning from other gardeners and successfully growing plants including tomatoes and strawberries. I would love the opportunity to help continue and improve the garden after our current coordinator leaves. I’ve also spoken with the current coordinator, who has been very supportive of me running for this role.
If elected, I hope to focus on making the garden more transparent, supportive, and community-oriented while keeping the welcoming spirit that already exists. Some initiatives I would like to work on include:
• More transparent and community-driven fund usage
I would like to establish a clearer process for garden fund usage, including a simple proposal and voting procedure for group purchases. I also hope to maintain a publicly accessible record of garden expense usages so members can easily see how funds are being used and contribute ideas for future improvements.
• More gardening support and community learning opportunities
Besides keep the traditional orientation and clean up days, I would like to organize optional seasonal planting days and seedling-starting sessions. I would be regularly sharing more planting tips and beginner-friendly guidance throughout the growing season. I also hope to improve the optional mentor-mentee pairing system by pairing experienced gardeners with newer members and, when possible, assigning their plot spaces near each other to encourage easier communication, collaboration, and hands-on support throughout the growing season.
• Improving shared resources and garden sustainability
I’d like to evaluate what shared tools, composting practices, watering systems, or storage improvements could make gardening easier and more sustainable for everyone over time.
I would be grateful for the opportunity to support and grow this community space, and I look forward to working together with everyone to make the garden an even more welcoming and collaborative place.
Sincerely,
Yuqi Zhang