Meet the Orrantias
Founders
Dusty and Riley wanted to create a space where kids could feel safe, have fun and discover the magic of learning outdoors. That dream blossomed here at Tierra Ohana through the Root & Rise Outdoor Program (501(c)(3) nonprofit), where we blend hands-on farm experiences with curiosity driven exploration. Come see what makes the program so special!
Yessie Joy Verbena
Director of Education
Yessie Joy Verbena is the Director of Education at Root & Rise Farm School, where she guides curriculum development, mentors educators, and helps steward the school’s long‑term vision. Her work centers on nurturing learning environments where children feel connected to the land, to their community, and to their own sense of capability.
Before joining Root & Rise, Yessie founded Blackberry Academy, Oregon’s first fully licensed outdoor preschool. She brings forward that same commitment to curiosity, equity, and nature‑immersive learning as she supports Root & Rise’s growing preschool and gradeschool programs.
Yessie is dedicated to expanding access to high‑quality outdoor education for all children and celebrates the diverse ways young learners grow, explore, and thrive. Her leadership is grounded in the belief that childhood flourishes in environments rooted in wonder, belonging, and relationship with the natural world.
Dusty Orrantia
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Dusty is a farmer, educator, and land steward devoted to restoring meaningful relationships between people, land, and food. A Southern California native, his path into permaculture and agroecology has taken him across diverse growing regions in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the American Southwest, where he deepened his understanding of how climate, culture, and ecology shape communities.
His experience developing and teaching at a nature-based outdoor farm school in Vista, California helped clarify a calling toward outdoor education.
As co-founder of Tierra Ohana Farm Non-Profit dba Root & Rise Outdoor School in Southern Oregon, Dusty helps cultivate spaces where learning grows from direct experience through tending gardens, caring for animals, preparing food, and participating in the rhythms of a working farm. Through this work, he supports the development of ecological literacy while strengthening local food systems and community connection.
He believes that nutrient-dense food grown with integrity and vitality can help heal both people and planet, and that real change begins by living the example we hope to see in the world. Inspired by the generations who came before us, Dusty sees this work as part of a living legacy, one rooted in care for the land and in the possibility of thriving future generations.
Miss Shay
Lead Preschool Educator
Shay brings over a decade of experience working with children in both outdoor and developmental settings and a lifelong love for the wild spaces that shape us. As a child, she spent most of her time outside, exploring the desert just beyond her neighborhood, climbing rocky hillsides, riding her bike through the sand and rocks, and peering into the deep crevices carved by floodwaters.
That early connection to nature guides her teaching today: child-led, curiosity-fueled, and grounded in the rhythms of the land. Her background also includes seven years as a Direct Support Professional for children on the autism spectrum, five years at Mt. Ashland, and two years as lead teacher at Discovery Preschool. She is currently a student at SOU, studying Psychology and Early Childhood Development, working towards her goal of becoming a nature-based play therapist.
Miss Keyla
Preschool Educator
Keyla is currently studying Administration and Child Development and is passionate about supporting children through their early years. She brings a caring, patient, and dependable presence to the classroom and genuinely enjoys getting to know each child’s unique personality, ideas, and way of learning.
Keyla especially loves the opportunity to learn and play alongside children outdoors. She believes nature provides a rich environment for children to explore, ask questions, move their bodies, use their creativity, and discover the world through hands-on experiences. Whether exploring the woods, observing plants and animals, or engaging in imaginative play, she enjoys creating experiences that encourage curiosity and connection.
She believes children thrive when they feel safe, valued, and respected as individuals. Her approach is grounded in patience, kindness, listening, and allowing children the space to grow at their own pace.
As she continues her education in Child Development and Administration, Keyla is excited to deepen her understanding of early childhood and continue growing as an educator. She is grateful to be part of each child’s early learning journey and looks forward to creating meaningful, joyful experiences with the children at Root & Rise.
Miss Bailey
Lead Gradeschool Educator
Bailey has always been drawn toward nurturing the wild spirit of children. From her experience as a preschool teacher and nannying, to raising her own two kids, she’s been learning and growing right alongside the children. She will graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Development in 2027, following years of dedicated study while witnessing her own children’s development.
Bailey has spent the past several years traveling the world, visiting intentional, sustainability-focused communities. During these experiences, she’s deepened her connection to nature and community building through working with the seasons, the dirt, the food cycle, and natural building.
Her passions include rock climbing, art creation, song and dance, homeschooling, urban exploration, and writing.
Oswaldo Giron de Leon
Land Steward
Oswaldo is the hardworking hand behind many of the spaces our students explore, learn, and play in each day. A dad of two and a cowboy at heart, Oswaldo brings an incredible range of skills to the farm from master welding and heavy equipment operation to fencing, building, repairs, and just about anything else that needs to be done.
With a gift for working with his hands and a seemingly endless ability to build or fix just about anything, Oswaldo helps turn ideas for outdoor classrooms into beautiful, functional spaces for our students. His hard work can be seen throughout the farm!
More than anything, Oswaldo takes pride in creating a safe, welcoming place where kids can spend their days outside learning, exploring, and getting a little dirty. We’re incredibly grateful for the skill, care, and heart he brings to Root & Rise.
The Vision
Tierra Ohana Farm aims to model regenerative, community-centered agriculture.
We strive to create a space where people can reconnect with the land, with each other, and with the food we grow, prepare, and eat. With the support and engagement of our community, we envision the farm growing into a sanctuary of abundance, offering food security, healing, and nourishment for all. We are proud to be part of the local food revolution, a movement with global momentum, and we hope to serve as both an inspiration and a practical model for others working to revive and strengthen small-scale farming.
About the farm
Tierra Ohana Farm is tucked into the Southwest foothills between Ashland and Medford, Oregon, where rich soil and changing seasons offer endless opportunities to learn and grow. As a working farm and education center, we grow food, tend animals, and invite children to connect with the land through hands-on experiences.
About our Practices
We practice regenerative organic methods that honor the land and support long-term ecological health. From composting and cover cropping to rotational grazing and water stewardship, every decision we make is rooted in reciprocity. We care for our soil, our animals, and our community with the belief that healthy systems create thriving people. By working in harmony with nature, we are not just growing food, we are growing a resilient community.