Elizabeth Gallo graduated from Dickinson College in 2020 with a degree in Studio Art and French and Francophone Studies, as well as the Food Studies Certificate. When choosing Dickinson, she was drawn to the College Farm and the emphasis on sustainability.
Growing up, Elizabeth and her family had their own small garden, where she credits her obsession with growing her own food. In High School, Elizabeth learned about an urban farm in her area from a peer and knew she wanted to get involved. Through the rest of her High School career and several summers in college, Elizabeth worked at Boone Street Farm in Baltimore, Maryland. This farm worked with the city to use plots of unused land as agricultural space and was very ingrained in the community. The leaders of the farm were locals themselves, and kids from around the neighborhood would frequently stop by to learn more about what was happening or just see what was going on.
During her time at Dickinson, Elizabeth noted how well her three programs meshed together; Studio Art fulfilled her tactical need, and during her time abroad in France, she was able to become involved with a community gardening program with her knowledge of French. She reflected that having a language program with the Food Studies Certificate makes a lot of sense; it is so much easier to get involved and learn about foreign farming and agriculture policies.
After graduation, Elizabeth moved to St. Croix, USVI, to work at Ridge to Reef Farm, the only USDA Certified Organic farm on St. Croix. After moving up in management and working at a few other farms on St. Croix, Elizabeth moved to St. John last year. Now she works on an organic (although not certified organic) commercial farm. This farm follows organic farming practices and provides greens and herbs to restaurants on the island. This farm and the woman who runs it have an incredible business model that Elizabeth looks to learn from and hopefully implement in her own business one day. The USVI have a year-long growing 
season and good soil with ample farming space too. Still, businesses and grocery stores rely heavily on the importation of food, which is becoming more difficult as tariffs continue to be implemented. Elizabeth strives to one day own her own land and be able to farm. to provide for her community, saying how cool it would be for people to buy kale from her local farm instead of imported kale from the grocery store that would mold in two days.
In addition to working on the commercial organic farm, Elizabeth also works with the VI Department of Agriculture, visiting other farms and helping to write land management plans. Although she did not focus much on forestry and ecology in her time at Dickinson, she says that the Food Studies Certificate and her farm experience were great foundations that made it easier to learn new aspects of Food Studies.
