I'm Paula Merchan and a High School senior. I come from a long line of healers: my great-grandmother was a witch doctor in Colombia, both my parents are healers, and my step-mother is an herbalist.

I'm eager to get a new outlook on plants and healing beyond what western medicine offers. I want to understand what this whole world is about that’s been hiding right under my nose.

I'm currently enrolled in the Green Medicine course at the New York Open Center. This course is a great start to my understanding of the healing properties of many native plants and how they work with various body systems.

I was awarded a 50% scholarship for the course (yay!), but I need to raise the remaining $1000 by the end of November.

Living in NYC, it's sometimes easy to not realize how disconnected from the Earth we can become. Taking this course is my way of reconnecting to the Earth and my roots.

Classes started in October - and I LOOOVE IT!!!!
Please please please help me reach my goal so I can continue my class.