Alissa Sarvinski is a Humboldt County native who grew up on her family’s organic dairy farm in Ferndale, which also produces fruits and vegetables from their Pepperwood farm along the Avenue of the Giants. She taught high school agriculture for 15 years at Santa Rosa and Eureka High Schools before joining College of the Redwoods. Alissa saw the opportunity at CR as an exciting new challenge and a chance to grow in her teaching career while continuing to share her passion for agriculture.

Alissa’s teaching style emphasizes hands-on learning. She strives to make each lesson interactive, combining traditional lectures with practical labs and real-world applications. For example, in her Intro to Soil Science course, students study macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, then test soil samples from the CR farm and campus. In Intro to Animal Science, students explore skeletal systems through lecture and hands-on dissections, such as analyzing owl pellets, and rabbit dissections to reinforce learning.

She encourages students to attend class regularly, engage actively, and ask questions. “Attendance is key,” Alissa says, noting that while lecture materials and lab sheets are available online, students gain the most from participating in class discussions and interactive experiences. She also highlights the breadth of career opportunities in agriculture, which extend far beyond farming to include roles in sales, marketing, finance, engineering, robotics, science, consulting, and education. “If you want a career that influences our everyday lives and impacts the planet, agriculture is the career choice for you,” she notes.

At College of the Redwoods, Alissa teaches Introduction to Soil Science, Introduction to Animal Science, Agribusiness, Organic/Sustainable Agriculture Production, Agriculture, Environment and Society, Agricultural Economics, and Agricultural Sales. She enjoys fostering a classroom environment that is welcoming, supportive, and encourages questions and curiosity. “I love to watch students think and process ideas, and I hope every class I facilitate is comfortable and inviting,” she says.