Recess: Rachel Eisner, Succulentist

The Succulent Society, as posh as it sounds, actually started as a bit of a joke.

“Being from California, I love my succulents — so much so that I was talking to another student about how I was thinking about using them as centerpieces for my West Coast wedding next year,” says Rachel Eisner, Ed.M.’19, an Education Policy and Management student. “My roommate Danielle interjected and asked us what succulents were. Though she was serious, it became a running joke between us, and I told a few people that I needed to create a succulent club to help educate the East Coast on their woeful lack of greenery knowledge. To my surprise, many people responded with excitement and enthusiasm to the idea, and thus the Succulent Society was born.”

In time, the club would meet, usually at someone’s apartment, as a way for students to relax and have fun around a no-stress activity related to succulent plants. At the first meeting, they painted flowerpots and learned how to replant. Students later shared clippings from their plants with one another.

Asked why specifically succulents and not another type of plant, Eisner says the main reason is that they are low maintenance.

“A group of us immediately bought plants in our first few weeks here, and just as immediately they all began to die because who has time to take care of a high-maintenance plant with our high-maintenance schedules,” she says. “We went with succulents because they have the ability to self-propagate and require very little care.”