Sunny Is a third generation Queer Boricua from The Bronx, NY.  Her primary focus and career delve into the work of urban agriculture, community organizing, the arts and nightlife. Sunny uses music and food as tools for liberation. 

Within this collective Sunny is the Full Time Farm Manager, Property and Renovations Support while also switching hats for community organizing, fundraising and product development. 

Chloë is an outdoor educator who specializes in urban agriculture and political education for high-schoolers. As the first to have moved to CT from the Bronx, she is the administration and infrastructure lead for Ceiba Arbor, as well as part of the core grounds crew maintaining our growing fields and all structures. 

Zen Astrud is an artist and botanical designer of Caribbean and Filipino descent from Brooklyn, New York. What they create serves as a reminder that beauty is always in some shape or form connected to our livelihood. This is an ideology of resistance and love supremacy.

Their role within the caretaking of Ceiba Arbor is to lead the production of Cut flowers as well as being lead caretaker of the grounds and properties.

Jesenia Lopez is a Bronx based Dominican multi disciplinary artist specializing in Fashion, Education, and Graphic Design. Born in New York and raised in Lawrence, MA, community and sustainability have always been pillars in the work she has done from her early years in Massachusetts from being involved with many Groundworks and Arts based Non-profits such as Hope Street and Movement City. She graduated from Lasell College with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Fashion Design & Production in 2013 where she continued her community work through tutoring and mentoring as part of Boston Department of Education.

Within this collective Jesenia’s skills are best utilized in the marketing & branding aspects of the collective, merchandise ideation and production, as well as the education sector and developing workshops and programming.

Demi Vera, a queer Puerto Rican multimedia artist and dedicated community coordinator from The Bronx, NYC, is committed to creating avenues of systemic change for marginalized communities. Their artistic journey spans photography, short films, and poetry, exploring intimate documentation and storytelling that delve into journeys of personal growth and vulnerability.

In addition to their artistic pursuits, Demi facilitates writing workshops and hosts a poetry radio show. These spaces serve as intimate community think tanks in a spiritually enriching environment, fostering connection and healing.

Their skills encompass project management, financial management, fundraising, and communication management. Demi collaborates with artists nationwide, leveraging their talents to drive meaningful change.

iiritu” is a Bronx-native of Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage, celebrated for her visionary approach to independent filmmaking and editing. With a distinct ability to weave narratives that intertwine nature, emotion, and the cyclical nature of memory, her work resonates deeply, examining the enduring impact of the past on our present lives.

Her films have earned widespread acclaim, showcasing at institutions and festivals, including the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, BRIC, the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, GLAAD, and Blackstar Film Festival. A skilled storyteller, her scripts have been recognized as finalists for CoverFly's Screencraft Film Fund and the Shorty Awards' Elevate Creators Fund. With every project, she continues to push boundaries, creating impactful stories that amplify underrepresented voices and inspire meaningful change.

Her role within Ceiba Arbor is focused on filming and documenting our early stage project and initiatives.

Maya Nuñez is a Bronx native specializing in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning. Her commitment to enhancing community well-being through urban policy and planning sets her apart as a valuable member of her cohort. Maya brings a legal perspective to the forefront of discussion on enhancing housing policies to elevate the overall quality of life.

Her recent contributions to various nonprofit organizations have improved her abilities to collaborate effectively with local community partners, navigate complex communications with key stakeholders, and craft concise briefing materials for diverse audiences. Her strengths will be in working with local governments and the SECCLT(Southeastern Connecticut Land Trust) to work towards further land sovereignty for BIPOC.

Stephanie Ayala is a New York City based multi-dimension artist exploring the practice of photography and glass. She is ambitious in wanting to know what is the range of her potential. In order to keep on discovering and using her choice of medium to learn through practice and research of what she sees as light. Her work is rooted in metaphysics, curiosity , and the ephemeral of life. Her connection to arts bring her to believing it’s important for us to have places where workshops, residency, and a place to connect with the spirit world. For artist to come together in order to create the changes needed to internal and external community. Inspire, to help put together workshop for artist who are seeking to have higher education.