Meet Audrey Veal
For teenagers heading into senior year, questions about the future can come up. What will happen after graduation? How will I stay connected with my friends? How can I make a difference in the world? I did not have the answer to all of these questions, but I did see a glimpse of what it means to contribute to something bigger than myself.
At Waterloo School Austin, the senior class closes out its high school experience with a significant project in support of our community, and for the Class of 2026, we served the neighbors at Community First! Village (CFV). In the fall, we started meeting at CFV weekly to become acquainted with the neighbors, the staff, and our goal, which was to redesign an orchard and triptych garden at the Genesis Gardens. The staff at CFV informed us that the fruit from this orchard and garden would be sold at their farmer’s market.
Additionally, they had sent out a survey to the neighbors to determine what they wanted to see in the market. They gave us the survey results and then let us take charge of the project. We spent most of the fall and winter drawing out our designs and figuring out what plants grew well together, as well as meeting the needs of the neighbors.
Before we could fully start planting and laying out the pathway, we had to remove a fire pit and two nonfruiting trees. Starting March 1, we worked out at CFV full time. With the exception of Monday and Friday, we spent every morning working in the gardens. We took many hours to level the ground to make it more accessible and to thoroughly weed all of the garden and orchard so the new plants could grow more easily. The triptych garden was meant to be in three levels, so in order to do that, we had to reshape the dirt to make the layers more defined. We planted many herbs including oregano and lavender. In the orchard, we planted four different kinds of trees, including pears and plums. To finish the project, we laid out an ADA accessible granite pathway so that the neighbors can walk through the garden regardless of their mobility. Despite hard days, material delays, and the occasional annoyance with my peers, I found myself wanting to go back the next day.
After seven weeks of work, we finished the project on April 27th, just a few days before graduation. This project was more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined. The neighbors were beyond excited to see volunteers work in the gardens, and they never failed to stop by to have a conversation. I saw God through the neighbors we met, the relationships we formed, and the beauty of the plants we placed in the garden.
