Elley (or El for short) is excited to join the Sungarden community as the Garden Steward. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, El spent her childhood playing along riverbanks, adventuring in the forest, and digging in her family garden. This early love for the natural world shaped her career path, and her passion for education bloomed while working with programs like the MESD Outdoor School Program and Trackers Earth. Coming from a long line of educators, she has seen firsthand the lasting impact that caring, compassionate teachers have on the world.

El followed her interests to The Evergreen State College, where she studied Environmental Education and discovered a deep passion for sustainable agriculture and garden-based school programs. Since then, she has worked as a Soil Field Instructor, immersed herself in herbalism and the PNW landscape, and spent time with her hands in the soil studying plants and working on small vegetable and herb farms in Washington, WWOOFing in New Zealand, and traveling through Southeast Asia. These experiences inspired El to earn her Master of Arts in Elementary Education and her teaching license from Lewis & Clark College. El is dedicated to helping young learners grow and discover their own passions and finds great joy in watching students learn through muddy hands and nature discovery. 

In her spare time, El loves being out in nature, hiking, backpacking, foraging, or floating on the water. If not outside, El enjoys seeing live music, traveling and spending time with loved ones.