Lexy Close is a native of Johnson City, Tennessee where she lived until she ran off to college in Massachusetts.  She became interested in International Development and eventually completed an undergraduate and Master’s degree in the subject at Clark University.  Her focus was on the social aspects of health and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. 

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During the intense process of writing her Master project, she found herself more and more interested in cooking, food production and brewing.  Emotionally and mentally worn out by academia, she once again fled, this time to Europe where she volunteered on organic farms in Italy, the UK and Belgium.

 

Upon returning home, she spent more time on an organic farm in Virginia and sold produce weekly at a local farmers market.  Thoroughly in love with food and farming, Lexy was until very recently still trying to figure out what she was going to do with her life when the opportunity to work with Build It Up East TN presented itself.  Lexy is very excited by the chance to combine her academic knowledge with her passion for sustainable agriculture and hopes that together with Build It Up and the greater East Tennessee community, a brighter future is possible.