Cookies University

Welcome to Northern California’s Emerald Triangle, where the spirit of the plant roots deep like the ancient redwoods. In the small town of Garberville, on the same land where indigenous healers planted the seeds that centuries later inspired OGs – and eventually gave birth to a culture – five students gathered from across the country looking to make cannabis history of their own.

Cyani, Malek, Menes, Noah, and Wendy were hand-picked from thousands of applications to participate in Cookies University – an immersive two-month program created by the globally recognized Cookies brand to offer free training on the cannabis supply chain to those most harmed by the drug war.

The opportunity to support social equity by sharing the practical knowledge it takes to build a successful cannabis career set the stage for the ultimate partnership: Cookies U + AROYA.

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A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

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“There's not too many people who look like me or who come with backgrounds like I do in the cannabis industry. I really want to create a space for more people who come after me and really break down barriers out here.”

Wendy
Cookies U Student

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Welcome to weed college

Applying the academic lens that inspired our origins, AROYA developed a curriculum and headed to the OneLog Campus ready to teach the students the fundamentals of science-based cultivation, and how to monitor plant growth to get the best yields and quality possible at a commercial scale. Because when it comes to securing a career in this industry, understanding the data behind the cultivation is key.

“The saying that stoners are lazy is actually super wrong. There's a lot of science, math, physics, biology that is going into all the plants and there is a lot of care and love that goes into really complex processes.”

Cyani
Cookies U Student

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“I applied to Cookies U because my tribe, they have a license to grow, but they don't have anybody to start it up.”

Noah
Cookies U Student

“I didn't know of many companies that are truly putting their money where their mouth is, allowing you access to their facility, allowing you to come and see the whole industry as a whole.”

Malek
Cookies U Student

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Leveling the playing field

Seeing a future for themselves, these 5 students left their lives and families behind to spend two months gaining the knowledge and connections it takes to pursue their goals. Social equity programs are meant to reduce barriers to entry – but more than that, they’re the gateway to a dream.

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“I've always had a passion for cannabis. I feel like I need to have a career in the cannabis industry to help bring people together, and educate people.”

Menes
Cookies U Student

Getting into the weeds

The students received detailed instruction, covering:

• Plant life cycle overview
• Plant growth parameters overview
• How to use sensors to monitor environment/substrate parameters
• Hands-on auxiliary equipment overview
• How to measure water content by weight/with the SOLUS
• How to review/analyze greenhouse data
• How plant physiology dictates morphology
• How to signal the plant’s hormone balances
• Crop steering basics

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Equity through education

“The real-world application is where the meat and the value of learning comes from. It was a delightful experience, and I'm honored to have the opportunity to go down and share the knowledge that I've created from six years of being directly in the industry.”

Jason,
Director of Applied Technology, AROYA