Meet the Residents
2021 Aspiring Farmer Residents – Cohort Five

Sophia Cooper
Sophia (she/hers) is an educator and writer who is passionate about loving the earth and learning one new thing every day. With previous experience with Lauritzen Gardens, Council Bluffs, Iowa City, and Omaha school districts, she believes that learning about and having access to locally-produced food is a key component in supporting children!
Some of her other passions include being a Kanye West fan and making baked goods! She can’t wait to share the rest of this journey with y’all!

Alexia Queen
Alexia (she/hers) was born and raised in Omaha. She is an artist and poet. Her values are rooted in love, one of the many ways she likes to show her love is by cooking. Her future plans are to own her own restaurant and urban garden to pass a plate of love to everyone in the community. She is so excited to be apart of Big Muddy this year and can’t wait to start growing fresh produce for you!

Decker Woods
Decker (he/him) is an artist raised in the suburbs of Omaha. He earned a degree in American Studies from Carleton College in 2019. He has travelled to many cities in from Portland to Madrid. After seeing so many amazing cities, he ended up back in Omaha dreaming of ways to improve his hometown. His passion for cooking led him to do so as an urban farmer. Decker believes that food has the power to heal individuals and build community. At Big Muddy, he hopes to share this power with the people and spread a deeper awareness about food.

Madi White
Madi White (she/her) wants to live in a world with abundance and justice for all living things, brunches that come with bottomless avocado toast and mimosas, and a view of the milky way every night before she closes her eyes. She graduated from Western Colorado University with a BA in Environment and Sustainability in May of 2020, gaining professional experience working at Gunnison County Library and local non-profits: Equitable Solar Solutions and Mountain Roots Food Project. She is beyond excited to start learning about and growing a food system that can restore our local communities and the planet.

Henry Wisneski
Henry Wisneski (he/him) is an environmentalist looking to share the joy of growing food with others. He has gardened for as long as he can remember, and has experience with a variety of farming practices. His objective at Big Muddy Urban Farm is to learn how to foster community through food production. In the future, he intends to pursue sustainable farming and mycology. If he is not sleeping, you can find him buried in a book or riding his bike around Omaha.
2020 Aspiring Farmer Residents - Cohort Four

Irene Atayi

Katie Bettin

Carly Frazee

Jasmine Marr

Phalin Strong

Matt Wettengel
2019 Aspiring Farmer Residents - Cohort Three
2018 Aspiring Farmer Residents - Cohort Two

Kaya Baker

Jess Dooley

Gavin Johnston

Shatice Jones

Laura Simpson
2017 Aspiring Farmer Residents - Cohort One

Kia Beason

Emily Hefeli

Terry Salem

Cadence Hernandez
