Katie Pollok: Katie grew up tending the yard with her parents and visiting her dad’s family farm—where her love for plants and open spaces took root. She studied anthropology and environmental studies at UNC, then worked in nonprofits and managed the Brooklyn Flea in NYC before returning to North Carolina to teach. When the pandemic shifted her path, she headed back to school to combine her passions for community, design, and nature. When she’s not buried in schoolwork, she’s either weeding her garden, sharing wine with friends, or doting on her husband and their tabby cat, Turnip.

Katie Pollock

Lauren Faye Welsh

Lauren Faye Welsh: Lauren Faye studied Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at NCSU, where her love of plants and ecology blossomed. She worked in sustainable agriculture education before pivoting to landscape architecture, hoping to help preserve the outdoor spaces she loves. You can find her chipping away at the Mountains-to-Sea Trail or attempting to grow a pumpkin outside her apartment window in her free time. These days, she spends as much time outdoors as she can biking around town.