A Greener Future Outside of the Cubicle
MONDAY, October 20, 2025
Jade Kwitkiwski
Mac Gaither, SITC ‘24 & UVM ‘24 alum, at the Fall Showcase. Photo by Jade Kwitkiwski
“I know now that I don't want behind-the-computer work.”
Mac Gaither, a graduate from the University of Vermont and Semester in the City (SITC) alum from our spring ‘25 cohort, was never fully sold on the college experience. She recalled hearing about Semester in the City the second week of her freshman year in a sociology class from a SITC alum. For one, Mac knew Boston was where she wanted to be after graduation to be close to her older sister. But also, because she wasn’t sure if college was for her in the first place.
“I remember [the alum] talking about how she felt like that one semester had more impact on her than the whole rest of her college career had, and that really resonated. I felt like I really wanted to experience that impact as well,” Mac said.
A few years later, Mac applied to SITC and was enrolled for spring ‘25. She was placed at Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition (MFFC) as a Program Fellow. She supported three of MFFC’s main programs, ranging from a community needs assessment for Merrimack College to planning the 2025 Boston Youth Bike Summit. To wrap her semester, she led a Shelter to Permanent Housing Transitional Workshop program from Mattapan’s houseless population.
Fellows together after final speeches at the Spring Showcase. Photo by Jade Kwitkiwski
Mac described herself as a chameleon, as she moved through projects that intersected with youth at the bike summit to the elderly at the Mattapan Square Farmer’s Market. “I felt like I connected with a whole range of people in the community I was serving, which was really affirming to know about myself,” Mac recalled.
Mac used to be “a lot more timid.” But now, she doesn’t wait for others to come to her, she goes to them. She has a newfound sense of self-confidence, connections that feel like “family,” improved cultural competency and a Swiss Army Knife of new hard skills.
And overall, her experience revealed to her that everyone’s journey is different, and that her goals changed as she learned more about herself and the world. She notes the “mountains of support” that the CFSI and MFFC staff provided were instrumental in supporting her throughout the internship and her career journey as she moves towards the future.
Mac outside at Green Urb Gardens & Lupine Flower Company. Photos from Mac Gaither
Today, Mac has dove into her interest in horticulture, through her roles as a fine gardener at Green Urb Gardens in Watertown, MA and as a floral designer at Lupine Flower Company in Somerville, MA. Green Urb Gardens leads the way in championing sustainable and native-plant focused gardening. She’s learned “multitudes” about greener gardening practices and how to support healthy ecosystems. When she’s not out in the garden or writing blogs for Green Urb, Mac loves designing, installing and selling flowers for events and retail at Lupine.
Post-SITC, she felt confident to pursue a more “hands-on” role after discussions with her MFFC mentor. “She really opened my eyes that my college degree should be something that kind of propels me into doing whatever I want and open doors and not limit me. So now I know that I can go for whatever I want to go for,” Mac said.
