Volunteer Spotlight: Sara Eve Rivera

By Greta Engel

Phipps is well-known for our beautiful gardens, seasonal flower shows, pioneering sustainability initiatives, informative educational programs and community outreach. None of our work, however, would be possible without the knowledge and dedication of our volunteers. In this series of profiles, we meet some of the people who give their time to make Phipps possible.

Volunteer Sara Eve Rivera’s favorite part of growing up was being outside and gardening with her grandmother and mom. She eventually got her first two houseplants in high school that have grown to be enormous over the last 20 years! Sara Eve has enjoyed years of Phipps programs including Botanical Illustration and the Master Gardner Program which she graduated from in 2025. She has been volunteering at Phipps for a year and a half now. When asked what drew her to volunteering at Phipps, she says, “I wanted to connect with other gardeners in the community, get some fresh air outside, learn more about the plants I love so much and share that information with my community. Phipps is beautiful and yinz are so great to us volunteers!”

Sara Eve runs a community focused tattoo studio in McKees Rocks called PMA Tattoo where she tattoos plants, pollinators and other beautiful creatures. Her shop is full of plants in an area of the city known to have little green spaces. “My little garden right behind my tattoo shop is a wonderful way of sharing that small spaces can have a big and beautiful impact with clients, family and neighbors. I love my little native plant and vegetable garden in McKees Rocks,” says Sara Eve. In her spare time, she likes reading, gardening, drawing and tattooing imagery inspired by nature.

Typically, Sara Eve can be found outdoors working on the Native Plant Garden with Display Horticulturist Skylar King. Together they manage and plant beds surrounding the Center for Sustainable Landscapes. “I don’t mind scaling the hillside, hauling big bags of invasives, walking through plants taller than myself or pulling large vines,” Sara Eve adds. She has braved all sorts of Pittsburgh weather while volunteering and always brings a snack and lots of water. She especially enjoys spotting native wildlife and learning what plants look like throughout their lifecycles. “It’s rewarding to see the difference in airflow after moving masses of invasive plants. I swear you can feel a difference when the native plants aren’t weighed down and can dance in the breeze,” she says. Sara Eve is constantly sharing her love of nature and creativity at Phipps and beyond!