Meet Virginia Folklife’s 2024 Summer Interns

School’s out, daylight is stretching ’til late, and gardens are blooming: it must be summer!

Among the arrival of summer and all of its beauty, Virginia Folklife welcomes three new interns! Our interns will spend 10 weeks this summer working on a variety of projects to support Virginia Folklife programming and community engagement.

They will contribute toward:

• building Virginia Folklife’s online presence
• processing transcripts of past and current programming
• supporting the transition of our yearly apprenticeship teams
• creating an interactive tool for viewing an ongoing oral history project focused on Virginia’s Eastern Shore

Let’s get to learning about these three emerging humanities professionals.

What is your educational background, and what are your interests outside of school?

Emma Bussard: I am currently working toward a Masters in Folklore Studies at George Mason University; I’m slated to graduate in the Spring of 2025. Previously, I attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville and completed a double major in Health and Wellness Promotions and in Studio Art with foci in both Ceramics and Photography. 

Outside of graduate school, aka back when I used to have free time, I make pottery in my home studio and am obsessed with crafting. Creativity runs in my family—my grandfather was a commercial artist—and creating tangible forms of artistic expression has been a huge part of my life from a young age. I draw, paint, snap photos, throw pottery, crochet, sew, make jewelry … I’ll try anything where I can use my hands and imagination to create something beautiful. 

Food is an ingrained interest in my family, with the majority of us enjoying cooking. My passion for food has expanded over the years to include foodways, food as medicine, herbalism, and gardening. These interests fit nicely into my lifestyle because I try to spend as much time outside as possible (preferably hiking!), connecting with a slower pace of life and soaking in the beauty of the natural world.

I also enjoy intentional travel and have done a lot of it in my lifetime! In undergrad, I studied abroad at a traditional art center in Kathmandu, Nepal for a summer which injected me with wanderlust. I joined the Peace Corps after graduating and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi for 27 months. Soon after, I applied for Peace Corps Response which landed me in Liberia from 2017-18. From there, I moved back to Malawi to work as a staff member for Peace Corps Malawi from 2019-22. During this time, I managed to visit 11 different countries on the African continent and 4 in Europe!

Philip DiMeglio: In May, I graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in Economics and Global Development Studies (GDS). GDS is an interdisciplinary major which prompts students to consider multiple conceptions of “development,” weaving together anthropology, politics, sociology, philosophy, and economics, among other disciplines, to understand and compare different modes of development around the world.

Outside of school, I am a lover of music, cooking, and making. These activities are not only enjoyable in the immediate moment but also help me to connect with the world and the beings around me, an essential project, in this era especially. In all of these spheres, I love to experiment, from creating a new bass line or chord progression in a song (for many years I was an a cappella singer and often arranged songs for my group), to trying a new dish or technique in the kitchen, to making decorations out of dried fruits and plants.

Charlotte Walden: I’m going into my junior year as an undergrad at UVA, and I am double majoring in history and anthropology, ideally taking up an art history minor as well. I am extremely passionate about museums and public history, and I work as a student docent at the Fralin Museum of Art in Charlottesville.

I am a big foodie and coffee shop enjoyer, so you can often catch me trying out in town trying new spots (hit me up if you are curious about my favorites!). I also love reading, antiquing, music, baking, and enjoying Virginia’s beauty all around! 

What is one of your favorite places in Virginia? What makes it special?

Emma: It may be cliche, but Shenandoah National Park! I live a short 10 minute drive from a side entrance to the park, so I frequent the trails often: specifically one which summits Furnace Mountain in less than 2.5 miles.

This was the first trail I explored when I moved back to the Valley in 2022, and I can’t get enough of it. I have loved watching it transform through the seasons—touting mountain laurel and pink lady slippers, wild blueberries, vibrant fall foliage, or a fresh dusting of snow. The trail begins along a gravel fire road before quickly veering off, crossing a wide stream, and meandering along the water briefly before climbing for about an hour. The summit opens up to a giant rock outcropping with a gorgeous view overlooking layers of rolling Appalachian mountains. It’s my happy place.

Philip: There is a place in Shenandoah National Park, right off Skyline Drive around mile marker 50, called Big Meadows. The recreational area is, as you may have guessed, a very large meadow. If you go during the daytime, it is somewhat unremarkable – a few trees on slight slopes in the midst of tall grasses cut by footpaths, all encircled by the forest. At night, though, the meadow transforms.

The vastness of the open space is comforting—you can see much more than if you were in the forest, and it is a perfect spot to stargaze. Lying in the great meadow under countless stars is an intensely grounding experience and sometimes even a once-in-a-lifetime one if you catch the right meteor shower. No matter the astronomical event you see, you are bound to find yourself in the sparse company of other lovers of the stars, the planets, and the night sky and who are often delighted to respond to curiosity about their telescope or star-watching instrument.

Charlotte: I absolutely love IX Art Park, a beautiful area featuring a wide collection of outdoor art installations in Charlottesville, just off the downtown mall. Some installations are quite quirky, so I’d recommend a visit so that you can see them in person. One such example is an upside-down figure on top of one of the buildings. Where else can you find that? 

I especially love this area on Saturday mornings when the weekly farmer’s market is happening. It’s an incredible scene. To start, there are always a million dogs there, so that’s great in and of itself. But additionally, there are so many different foods and crafts for sale by a plethora of vendors. During my trips to this market, I’ve delighted in fantastic tacos, baked goods, baklava, and beyond. It’s an excellent place to get gifts from local artists, too. I’m excited to support local farms by buying fresh produce from the market this summer; I’ve been wanting to “chef it up” now that the semester is over and I have a bit more time to get in the kitchen! 

Describe a tradition you celebrated growing up that is still near and dear to your heart.

Emma: Since it’s summer and currently on my mind, one of my family’s summer traditions is picking berries! We love visiting You-Pick farms and obsessively clearing the bushes of plump fruit. I spent my early childhood in the Shenandoah Valley, living just down the road from a mennonite-run farm that offered Pick-Your-Own strawberry fields. Memories of slipping warm sweet berries into my mouth, fresh off the plant and juicer than ever, will forever stay with me and is something I try to relive each year!

Philip: For as long as I can remember, my parents, brother, and I have been spending Thanksgiving with my dad’s side of the family in West Windsor, New Jersey, where my dad and his siblings grew up. Every Thanksgiving, we drive up I-95 (not very near and dear to my heart) with our dog, and usually arrive in time for the “wine and cheese” period of milling about before dinner. As relatives roll in, the energy in the house rises, coming to a head at the dinner table once we all sit down with our overflowing plates.

The constant back and forth conversation at the table (particularly between my dad and his siblings) is the perfect storm for laughs, jabs, and knowing looks. By the time dinner is over, I have been thoroughly warmed by the comfortable kinship of family around our full table and the heat of the wood stove, pumping energy out like the heart of the house. As the wood stove’s burning slows, the evening winds down with a puzzle or a game, or maybe a movie, and we are all lulled into the sweet sleep of a house packed with full bellies and fuller spirits.

Charlotte: The Yarmouth Clam Festival is a traditional event near and dear to my heart. Shoutout to the great ol’ state of Maine! For those who have not yet been, Clam Fest is a three-ish day festival each July in my hometown of Yarmouth that is chock full of art vendors, homemade pie, clam shucking contests, and so much more. Growing up, my grandmother lived near the festivities, and my cousins and I would run around, pick raspberries, meet up with friends, and all get to be together for the weekend. 

Why did you choose to intern with Virginia Folklife?

Emma: I wanted to work with Virginia Folklife this summer because I am eager to gain applied experience in the public folklore sector. I am passionate about folklife – the traditions and knowledge passed on across generations, constantly melding and molding to meet modern demands – and especially in the documentation and preservation of such practices and information.

Virginia Folklife provides a fantastic model and framework of this important work across the state, engaging with diverse and often marginalized communities in order to create equity in their collection of stories. I’m hoping that I will glean at least a fraction of their best practices through this summer internship and also be able to contribute my skills and passion to help the program meet their goals.

Philip: As I have learned about Virginia Humanities and the Virginia Folklife Program (VFP), I have realized that VFP represents and embodies the fact that we, as Virginians but really as humans, deeply value connections to place and to each other that we build through our traditions and our craft. In this intensely industrialized world that trends more digital by the day and isolates us further from our ancestors and communities, the slower pace and long-term view required for these kinds of practices is nothing short of radical, to say nothing of the profound connection and co-becoming that results when craftspeople learn and work together, as mentors or apprentices.

I wanted to work for VFP so that I could engage with and support Virginians, especially those steeped in cultural practices and who serve as stalwart defenders of the long process of place- and kin-making.

Charlotte: I have always been deeply interested in working closely with people and learning their stories. I’m typically the “nosy” one at family gatherings, the one who inquires about each and every story that is shared. Maybe that curiosity and interest are rooted in my past, as I grew up understanding the value of small-town tradition and community. I’m also curious and always strive to learn more about where I am in the world. This is why I chose to study anthropology, the study of humans, as well as history. At the end of the day, I want to be able to share the things I learn in this realm with others and to make sure stories are properly told. 

Finding out about the work that Virginia Humanities and the Virginia Folklife Project do has been so cool. Working with the Virginia Folklife Program has and will continue to allow me to dedicate time to the studies of my neighbors and to learn about new cultural practices and stories about which I am curious. Also, I love being able to help such a great team share our collective history in a palatable way with everyone, through the internet and beyond. The accessibility of this information is so important and is essential when it comes to teaching public history. 

Name one thing you are looking forward to about summer in Virginia.

Emma: My favorite thing about the summer months are the looooong sunshine-filled days that fade into colorful sunsets over the Blue Ridge Mountains. The sight, like the one below taken on one of my evening jogs down the road, is pure magic.

Philip: While summer in Virginia is magical for many reasons, I am looking forward to (and already enjoying!) the abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits grown in the rich land of this state. Last summer, I worked on a small vegetable farm for a friend of mine who was starting year one of a CSA (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture—check out September Sun Produce).

There, I experienced intimacy with the land and its plants, animals, and other beings, far beyond anything I had ever experienced before. It made the already joyous season feel even more celebratory. This year, I am participating in the CSA and delighting in the (literal) fruits of my friends’ labor, from the funny-looking radishes that might not have made it onto the shelves of Kroger, to the countless bags of arugula from a crop that went wild during this wet and mild spring. I’m especially looking forward to tomatoes that will burst with flavor from their vines in July and to the sweetness exclusive to those raised by friends.

Charlotte: I am excited to have access to a car in Charlottesville this summer! I am a big wanderer and road-tripper (I made the 12-hour journey from Maine to Charlottesville at the start of the summer!), so having wheels will open a lot of doors to broad explorations of this city and beyond.

My goal is to have at least one solid day where I explore the mountains, maybe go antiquing, eat some spectacular food, and read a good book: all ingredients that contribute to a wonderful day!