Did you know that humans and herb basil share something extraordinary? Given the suitable types and amounts of stressors, humans and basils alike will inherently adapt and produce more beautiful and flavorful versions of themselves.

Hi, my name is Ryan. I am a rising sophomore in the Beyond Boundaries Program with a computer science major and HCI minor. Over the summer of 2022, I’ve been interning at a startup called MARSfarm. My boss for the summer Peter, MARSfarm CEO, has made it a morning ritual to learn more about each other and/or share something interesting we recently discovered on our drive to the office. One morning, Peter mentioned that MIT produced a study that found stressed basil contained richer than normal flavors. I thought to myself, “Isn’t that the same with people?”

 While physical challenges differ between humans and basil plants, stressors can transform both into greater versions of themselves. For example, basil stressors such as “drought to the presence of certain insects affect…how the plants taste” (McGrath), the same can be said of human stressors, such as going to the gym to lift weights. As a result, your body reacts by building bigger and stronger muscles.

Unsurprisingly, many of these challenges also lie within the entrepreneurial realm of startups and can ambush founders and their teams in every possible instance. I remember the anxiety of sending an invoice to a real customer within two hours of arriving at the office. After a few days of experiencing minor anxiety relating to sales and maintaining 3D printers, I felt more comfortable and confident in my ability to work without constantly needing to ask for help. Struggling like I did as a beginner was essential to becoming more proficient, and eventually a master.

While it might seem daunting to try new things, you must face these unfamiliar situations with the same resilience as a towering redwood tree would_­ have in a fire. I see this every day at MARSfarm from Peter and Drew, MARSfarm COO, with their ability to creatively solve the problems that arise in every department. We could have mechanical failures with the 3D printers, need to design a brochure and 96” by 30” standing banner, and have issues with sourcing our materials, and despite everything, Peter and Drew rarely seem flustered and approach each issue with a smile. Their fruitful years of experience have cemented their fortitude and they seem to break down problems in a beautiful dance of brilliance and teamwork.

In my time at MARSfarm, I’ve volunteered to take on many roles outside what I was hired for: application development. I’ve taken on roles as a designer, where I’ve designed a brochure for our MARSfarm V1 and rushed the design for our upcoming conference. I’ve acted as a sales liaison creating profiles, estimates, and invoices for customers on QuickBooks. I’ve also constantly maintained eight 3D printers, printing hundreds of parts. Each of these serves as the perfect novel experience pushing me and adding skills to my professional pantry. I would encourage you, the reader, to branch out to roles or projects that might seem foreign to you. It will help you grow. You’ll end up learning something new and could find a new flavor to add to your life. If it turns out you don’t enjoy it, you can at least say you tried it!