Hello there! This is the first of my five blogs for my apprenticeship with the Taos County Economic Development Corp. (TCEDC) in Taos, New Mexico. For those of you new to my blogs, welcome! My name is Tiana Suazo, I am from Taos Pueblo and Jemez Pueblo located in New Mexico. I graduated in May of 2014 from Fort Lewis College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Through Ogallala Commons I have been able to complete two community internships at TCEDC and start an apprenticeship. During those internships, I have started and also coordinate the Taos Farm Stand Market. The Taos Farm Stand Market is a small market that works in consignment and wholesale with various farmers and food producers in Taos and the Northern New Mexico area. In my very first blog, I talked about wanting to attend graduate school and then continue on to get my doctorate in business. While I love business, and those goals are still possible to achieve, I have discovered a new passion from my time spent with TCEDC: farming. I love food, food is life, and it’s important that the community who consumes the food knows where it’s coming from. I always thought whatever I would be doing I life would be purely business, but after being at TCEDC for about 7 months, I know farming is going to be a big part of my life now. The many farmers and food producers I have met through TCEDC and in Taos have inspired me to start my own farm and help contribute to the local food movement.

