“At every opportunity in her professional and personal life, Rubie empowers young people to become active and engaged community members, helping our youth build social equity and supporting their growth through experiential opportunities. In 2016, Rubie will be leading the design and implementation of a five-acre urban agriculture center to enhance the health and well- being of under-served and under-resourced communities in the Sacramento region.” — Steve Kempster

Rubie has big dreams and works in a powerful city office that affords her the opportunity to implement them. WayUp Sacramento is the nonprofit arm of City Councilmember Jay Schenirer’s office, and Rubie works on the front lines. Yet she doesn’t simply do as she’s instructed; she pushes her superiors to give her freedom and then bolts like mint leaves growing in the rain.

This year, Rubie will oversee the office’s major agricultural

education project, helping convert the city’s old tree nursery (where, once upon a time, the City of Trees used to cultivate saplings from seed to planting) into a robust center for learning and job creation. Rubie will be responsible for gathering community partners and taking the dream from concept to reality—with only a year of funding in place.

If anyone can do it, it’s Rubie. This free spirit places community action above all else. Earlier this year, she bought a VW van, moved out of her apartment and lived in her vehicle to push herself to experience life without materialism.

“Meeting humanity’s basic needs should be a given,” says Rubie. “Sadly, even in America, it is not. By focusing on creating an equitable food system we are choosing to provide healthy food for all, living wages for all and setting our visions high for self-sustainable and resilient communities.”