Van Trat is MEVO’s first Educator. As our educator, Van will be teaching our elementary “Seeds and Sprouts” education series as well as leading educational workshops at various MEVO events. She graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Environmental Studies in 2019. She is a longtime resident of Mahwah and was first interested in MEVO when she learned about the pollution on Stag Hill. Over the summer of 2017, Van was a Stag Hill Research Intern and a Farm Crew Intern, since then Van has held many titles in MEVO, such as Volunteer Coordinator, Earth Crew Leader, and Farm Harvester. She strongly believes that MEVO is an amazing organization to be a part of because of all the different environmental projects it has to offer for aspiring youth leaders. In addition to her work at MEVO, Van has previous experience teaching students K-8 as an Environmental Educator at the Meadowlands Environmental Center and Wayne Outdoor Lab. Van is passionate about teaching younger generations the importance of our environment, preserving natural land/ wildlife, and sustainable agriculture. She encourages everyone to volunteer with MEVO and hopes to see you at the Fresh Roots Farm soon!