This application is for the Knoll Spring '25/Fall '25 Internship during the academic year, which qualifies as a college job/federal work study. Please note that we have a separate application for the Knoll Summer Internship. You are welcome to apply only one position or to both. Both positions are only open to currently enrolled, returning Middlebury College undergraduate students.

The intention of creating this application is to make the hiring process more accessible for the Knoll Internships. Our goal is to remove some of the formalities of a cover letter (to whom do you address it? What font? How do I virtually sign it?) which apply less directly to this role. While written communication is one skill in a suite of those we value in interns at the Knoll, some of the most important skills, dispositions and awarenesses of great Knoll summer interns are: reliability, the ability to work as a team member, the ability to create a fun and care-filled environment for others, care with language, active communication, a willingness to learn and try new things, and persistence. 

The use of A.I. is not permitted in this application as the nature of our work is not computer-based, and relies on self-produced communication. We encourage authentic expression in your responses and thus, ask that you bring your fullest and truest self, word, and spirit. 

Application timeline:  

• Application opens week of 12/9/24 

• Optional Information Session to come, more details at go/knollintern 

• Megan’s Calendly link to schedule a 20-minute one-to-one if you have individualized questions

• We will close the application on Wednesday, January 22nd at 12pm (noon)  

• Selected candidates will be interviewed beginning the week of January 27, 2025  

• If you have questions, please reach out to Megan Brakeley, associate director of the Knoll at mbrakeley@middlebury.edu. 

• This position begins in late March. There is only one application process for the 2025 growing season, beginning in spring and continuing into fall. Please note that we will only consider those applicants who can commit to being on campus Spring '25 and Fall '25. We recognize that these are unpredictable times and will do our best to accommodate; please be honest in your ability to commit to these two consecutive semesters

Mission of the Program: The Knoll’s mission is to explore food as a medium to cultivate well-being in people, place, and the planet. In doing so, our work begins with understanding and dismantling oppression, with particular attention to the racism, land theft, cultural erasure, and colonial supremacy that built our food system and remain at the fore. We commit to creating access for people who have been barred access from the freedom to choose whether, and how, to engage with agriculture and the land. We aim to broaden understanding of the political, historical, and cultural frameworks and hegemonies, including white supremacy, that have built our predominant narratives and understandings of the food system and our landscape. These goals are aspirational; we recognize limitations of the site and our programs (e.g., the Knoll is not an ADA accessible site) while simultaneously working to improve conditions. We invite interns to step into this ongoing work with us.  

The Knoll is comprised of the Educational Garden, the Outdoor Kitchen and the Serenity Garden. The Educational Garden’s 1 acre grows diversified vegetables and fruits and supports student and faculty research. We aim to test theories and develop techniques that move us toward sustainability, regeneration, and resilience.   

Time commitment: This role supports the 2025 growing season during the spring  and fall  academic semesters. Knoll Interns attend a weekly 1-hour planning meeting and work 5 hours/week in two 2.5-hour work sessions from approximately March 15 through May 17, and return to work at the beginning of the fall semester through approximately November 1. Interns also work additional hours (typically weekends/afternoons) to support events and programming. At the outset of each semester, we will co-create a regular weekly schedule to match intern availability with Garden Volunteer Hours and to arrange a weekly cohort meeting. Due to weather and the season’s needs, shifts may occasionally be canceled or hours may vary.   

General Responsibilities: Interns establish a welcoming learning environment for peers and visitors as we join in the yearly cycles of food production and regeneration. Interns play an important role in program development and direction. Interns help set up and facilitate Garden Volunteer Hours, maintain the gardens, outdoor kitchen, and serenity garden. Interns will receive training to use the pizza oven to co-host events sponsored by campus partners. We will tend to follow the seasonal flow of work which shapes how our time is shared; interns can expect that the role can involve a mix of hands-on earth work and program development work (which may take place independently). Late fall and winter work may comprise emergent or continuing projects as mutually agreed upon. 

On-site responsibilities: 

• Serve as stewards who welcome visitors and volunteers to the Knoll, facilitating Volunteer Hours and events hosted at the Knoll.  

• Participate in and advance our anti-oppression work. 

• With support of the associate director, carry out all aspects of managing the Educational Garden, including soil preparation, bed building, sowing, transplanting, cultivating, harvesting, and sales. 

• Collaborate with staff at Middlebury Dining Services, Anderson Freeman Resource Center, Prism Center, Weybridge House, Dolci, and other campus partners. 

• Through partnership with HOPE and others, contribute to community partnerships. 

• In addition to regularly-scheduled hours: support events by managing the pizza oven and grounds, as needed. 

• Attend Knoll Friends Student Org meetings during the academic year to act as a liaison. 

• Participate in faculty or student research programs at The Knoll, as needed. 

• Maintain tools, equipment, and overall site. 

• Follow and demonstrate safety procedures for all workers and volunteers, including COVID-19 safety protocols. 

• Participate in a weekly planning meeting with other interns. 

• Participate, as needed, in a rotating weekend greenhouse/garden watering schedule. 

• Perform other duties as mutually agreed upon.