Gregory

"Plants teach you perseverance. Not everything comes at once."

By Students of NYC

October 31^st, 2025

"When Mrs. Sattar gave me my first plant, it was just a tiny piece of a Monstera. I kept it in water, and it began to propagate. When I took it out, it began to trail. Each brand-new leaf, I’d be like, Oh my gosh! Every time I interact with a plant, they teach me something new. My love for plants began at home. I grew up in a Caribbean household. We always find ways to reconnect to our home island. My aunt always had plants, outside and inside. She also has a speech impediment like me, so we are connected. If you see my room now, I think I have over 25 house plants, all in one area. It's different taking care of indoor plants — outside, there’s constant sun, breeze, but indoor plants you have to be more mindful. They have different needs, different care plans. You have to be more careful.

AP Sattar told me about a grant opportunity. She knew I was creative and passionate about teaching others about plants. I created a Canva slideshow. I made a mission, and we thought of a name: The "Rhythm and Soil Garden Club." Plants can be challenging, and I wanted to show that in the presentation. So we showed how to treat a pest infestation. What bugs can come and do to a garden is crazy — it happens so fast. We wanted to show that even if we faced problems, we can handle them. With the $5,000 we got, we decided to invest in a hydroponics lab. We chose this garden because it’s able to grow into fruits and vegetables. Being here, in our school, it could take planting beyond just beauty. To see what it could produce. That’s why plants are amazing — they show us we can do anything, even help kids who may not have food as often as they’d like. We’re going to harvest everything at the end of the year and plan an event in our school community where we can eat what we’ve grown. I’m passionate about this club, but I’m a senior, and after I graduate, I’ve given the next kids a baseline. That’s why the grant was so important to me. It’s not just about getting things in the moment. It’s about planting seeds for the future.

Plants teach you perseverance. Not everything comes at once. I connect this with my journey through dance. At the beginning of my journey, there were times when I felt stuck. Taking care of all of these plants has taught me that things take time. It’s a process. If you cut a plant in any place, it will keep growing and sprouting from where it was severed. People — we are the same."