Organic Farming: An Alum Shares how She Came Back to Midland

Meet Talei Cody '15: An Alum Returns to the Farm

Talei '15 shares about the special role the Midland farm has played in her life and career

Two women and one man smiling

Anna Cody (Talei’s sister), Ben Munger ’79, and Talei ’15 at Frank’s Tree House in Los Olivos

I vividly remember the first time I came to Midland. My mother drove me up Figueroa Mountain Road one afternoon the summer of my 7th grade year, wanting to show me the place she had been dreaming about me attending. I didn’t know it then, but the first person I met that day would help shape my life in countless ways, one of them being fostering a love for the farm. That day, I met Ben Munger (‘79), Farm & Ranch Director, educator, and alum.  Having been adopted into the Cody family, I was still learning  about the long standing relationship my family had with Midland; that first introduction in the upper field was the beginning of mine. 

My freshman year, spring of 2012, Ben asked if I would want to work on the farm over the summer. I enthusiastically agreed, celebrating this offer and brainstorming how I would get to and from campus (Spoiler: until I got a vehicle, I would ride a janky motorized bike). This would be my first paid job, so of course I was daydreaming about how I could finally buy myself an iPod Classic!  That summer introduced me to my love for growing food and deepened my appreciation for this place in its entirety. I got to participate in the full process of providing sustenance for our community, and I learned what it really takes to grow a meal. 

Years after leaving Midland, I would have recurring dreams of this place every couple of months or so. Sometimes these dreams would be lucid, and I would think to myself, “Why am I here? I’ve already finished high school.”  In the dreams, I would sometimes see old classmates and interact with them, but I noticed that we were all older, no longer teenagers. In my waking life, I would try to pick apart these dreams to understand what was going on in my mind. The only thing I could agree on was that deep down, I wanted to come back to this place and contribute in a new way. 

Woman with large dog, mastiff

Talei and her dog Ziggy

The experiences I had and lifelong relationships I built while here as a student all led me back to Midland, and specifically, the farm. I feel like I’ve lived three different lifetimes since being away, having worked a myriad of challenging, unique, and sometimes unconventional jobs. All of these adventures built my skill sets while distilling my goals, bringing me to the present. I’m grateful to be given the opportunity to share my love for this place. My paramount goal is to inspire the young people to be their best, most authentic selves, and give back even a fraction of what my mentors blessed me with. I look forward to many moments spent singing, laughing, and working under the oaks together.

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