Whether it is her art or work in food sovereignty and ecology, all of Noor Almayahi's interests take root in nature.

"Working with the land is really important. I feel like a lot of disconnection and miseducation people have with nature comes from the fact that they are separating themselves from it. Interacting with the land reminds you that you are nature," says Noor, who used to plant gardens with her mom growing up.

Named a member of the Emerald Eagle Scholars Program, Noor's decision to come to UNT was mostly based on its affordability. However, when she graduates this month as the first in her family with a bachelor's degree, she will not only be debt free, but will be taking away experiences affecting real change in a community and the environment.

At first, Noor enrolled in the College of Visual Arts and Design to study metalsmithing and jewelry. She enjoyed the hands-on instruction and opportunities to hone her art skills. She says professors such as Ana Lopez struck a perfect balance of giving guidance and offering space for individuality in her art. Lopez even helped her find a scholarship to exhibit her art at the Yuma Symposium in Arizona.

"She was really monumental. She ensured that any opportunities I was interested in and willing to do the work for, she would do anything that she could do to support me," Noor says.

Noor's growing interest in intersectional environmentalism drew her away from art into UNT's ecology program, where she learned from influential faculty members such as Ana Hoeinghaus, Jaime Jimenez and Jaime Baxter-Slye. She also relished any instruction that brought her outside, such as field assignments at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area and Denton Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center.

Transferring into ecology, Noor worried about obtaining enough experience required by employers after graduation. That changed when she became facilitator for the UNT Community Garden, a student-led project funded by the We Mean Green Fund. In the garden, Noor had the opportunity to dig into food sovereignty, the type of environmental work she hopes to continue after graduation.

"I feel very privileged to have this position because I already have a year and a half of work experience in the exact field that I'm interested in," Noor says. "For the jobs I'm applying for right now, I have some professional experience for essentially every single aspect that they are asking for thanks to my role with the UNT Community Garden."

As facilitator, Noor helped streamline the process for donating the garden's harvests to the UNT Food Pantry presented by Kroger, so that more fresh foods could make it into the hands of students who are in need. In the last year, the garden has donated more than 100 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to the pantry.

Additionally, she made education and community building a priority by hosting events such as Pick Your Own Produce and meal planning workshops, allowing students to literally put their hands in the dirt to see where their food comes from and learn ways to prepare it. The work has not only been resumé-building, but fulfilling in how she has learned to respond to a community's needs and feed her own soul.

"Tending to the land has helped me develop that relationship with the ground that I walk on and feel that it is home and that I have responsibility and obligation over protecting it," Noor says.

Read more UNT Great Grads stories at: https://commencement.unt.edu/great-grads-fall-2021