TerraCorps Community Engagement Coordinator Spotlight: Marcus Kassick
Marcus Kassick (he/him) is one of our TerraCorps members for the 2024/25 year! Marcus is our Community Engagement Coordinator (CEC) and Marcus helps run our social media accounts, writes blogs and newsletters, and helps with our afterschool programming! Find out more about Marcus below!
What originally inspired you to get involved in youth garden education?
I’ve always believed that having a connection to nature is important, but living in a city can make that hard, especially for kids. I got involved because I wanted to help young people build that connection in a way that feels real and grounded. Gardening is such a powerful tool for that and it lets kids explore, slow down, and feel more rooted in the world around them.
How has working with youth changed your perspective on education or the environment?
Working with young people has reminded me how much curiosity and wonder there is in the natural world. It’s shifted my perspective from seeing environmental education as just facts and issues to seeing it as storytelling, play, and relationship-building. Kids help you slow down and pay attention to the little things like the excitement of a sprouting seed or spotting a worm, and that changes how you view the environment as something alive and personal.
What’s one important skill you believe gardening teaches kids that they can use outside the garden?
I think gardening teaches kids how to care for something beyond themselves. Whether it's checking if their seedlings need water or noticing bugs on the kale, they're practicing empathy and responsibility. Those small acts of care add up and help build the foundation for becoming thoughtful, engaged community members.
Who is Marcus outside of CitySprouts?
If you could live in any fictional universe, where would it be?
I would live in Bikini Bottom and I would be best friends with Spongebob and Patrick.
What’s your favorite place to explore in Boston/Cambridge?
I love going on long walks along the Charles River!
If you could have any mythical creature as a pet, which one would it be?
I would have a dragon that is super friendly and cool looking that flies me around wherever I want to go.
Marcus’s Favorites
Favorite food? - Any and all cereal!
Favorite board game or video game? - Rocket League
Cats or dogs? - I love cats but I am super allergic to them.