It’s all about food for South Whidbey High School graduate Emily Dunn-Wilder.

Since enrolling at The Evergreen State College in 2012, Dunn-Wilder has not only created The Evergreen Food Guide but also coordinates the college’s Shellfish Club and organized the 2015 Evergreen Earth Day. She may be best known in Olympia for her collaborative effort with the school’s administration, Evergreen’s campus food vendor Aramark, and two campus cafes to allow the college to join the national Real Food Challenge. In April, Evergreen became the 31st college in the country to join the student-led movement, which aims to increase the amount of locally-sourced, organic and humane foods served in college dining halls, according to a press release from the state college.

Because of her efforts, Dunn-Wilder was appointed in October by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to The Evergreen State College Board of Trustees, where she will serve as the student trustee for the next year.

Dunn-Wilder, a senior at Evergreen, still remembers her upbringing on South Whidbey. She also noted the lessons in life she learned on the South End.

“South Whidbey is a very artistic community,” she said. “I grew up in the theatre; my sister acted locally. My mother is a music therapist and my father, a child and family therapist, which meant I got lots of skills in healthy communication growing up. I learned how to compromise and see the other person’s perspective.”

The skills she garnered have served her well in becoming a student leader at Evergreen. But there’s still more to be done.

“There’s a lot of work to do to make a great thing even better,” Dunn-Wilder said.

Dunn-Wilder is currently enrolled in a program focused on the geological, political, environmental, social, artistic and historical factors relating to foods grown around the world. After graduation in June 2016, she hopes to continue her education at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Northern Italy. She plans to study food culture and communication.