Ashley Boddie

Everyone – from age 1 to 101 – should read The Lorax! The book makes it so obvious why we should care about our planet and the impacts our actions have on the environment. Even children can understand the message that it's up to us to care and do things differently than they've been done before. As a resilience geek, I love this message. And I am super proud of the fact that my children love this book as well.

I used to work at Starbucks as a barista, and honestly enjoyed it. Maybe it's because I'm from the Midwest (and started working at Starbucks in the suburbs of Chicago), but I love to chat with people. At some stores, I actually got to know some of the regulars and what was going on in their lives. I also loved picking out a drink for someone based on what I thought they would like. I guess now my barista skills are no longer put to good use, but I do love being able to connect with and learn from local experts when doing research or conducting assessments. And I always love to try the local coffee or tea beverage of choice!

The best thing about working at RTI is the opportunity to conduct research and innovate in our field of practice. Not only does it ensure our projects and interventions are grounded in evidence, but it allows us to explore development challenges and continuously improve the way we are doing our work. I appreciate the opportunity to expand my research skillset and step away from day-to-day tasks to work on something completely self-driven as well. I must also mention that these research projects provide countless opportunities to learn from and collaborate with my brilliant colleagues. Every time I hear about something new someone is working on, my mind is blown! I feel so lucky to be in such incredible company, and to collaborate on topics that intersect with agriculture.