Helanna has been the Green Teen Coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County since 2004. Green Teen combines many of her passions- working with youth, growing food, arts and education. Before that she was a counselor at a crisis shelter for homeless youth. Her experience working with youth in crisis has made her the perfect mentor for participants in Green Teen. The youth often go to her for guidance before they talk to other adults in their lives. She’s worked as a farm apprentice, an educator for various organizations including the Bard Prison Initiative, and as a consultant for a micro-finance NGO in Nigeria. Helanna has a BFA in Photojournalism from RIT and a MPS in Humanistic Multicultural Education from SUNY New Paltz. When she’s not growing vegetables with teenagers, she can be found hanging out with her family and friends, hurrying to a yoga class, or scheming about what her next adventure will be.