Breasia started her horticulture apprenticeship in 2024 after Teens Grow Greens took a trip to her high school to talk about the opportunities they had for teens in Milwaukee. Now, she takes pride in her job because she can teach her peers about healthy produce while giving back to the community and learning entrepreneurship skills. Employ Milwaukee provides wages to over 30 apprentices, like Breasia, at Teens Grow Greens through the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s Worker Advancement Initiative.  

“There are so many things to take away from Teens Grow Greens,” Breasia said. “When you put in work, you’re going to see your work. Last year when we were in the garden, we made over one thousand pounds of food and donated it all to the pantry and people in the community were able to take that food home.”  

At PitchFestMKE, a competition in which young people present their ideas to solve a problem that their community is facing, Breasia and another Teens Grow Greens apprentice, CaMiyah, pitched to require better sex education in schools to reduce sexually transmitted infections (STI) and teen pregnancy. Breasia accredits Teens Grow Greens for giving her the confidence and tools to present in front of a panel of over fifty people and win first place.  

While Breasia considers Teens Grow Greens to be the best first job a teen in Milwaukee could have, her ultimate career goal is to become a veterinarian.  

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