This position is only available to Middlebury College students who are on-campus for spring semester and returning for Fall 2025.

Application timeline:  

• Application opens week of 12/9/24 

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

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

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

• Further selected candidates will be offered positions at the end of the week and have about a week to accept and finalize the offer. 

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

This application is for the Knoll Summer Internship starting ~ late May 2025 and continuing through the 15  weeks of summer, until the start of fall '25 classes. We are expecting that this internship will be conducted in-person, and that on-campus, cohort-style housing will be provided through the duration. More details are forthcoming and subject to change. This position is only open to currently enrolled, returning-for-fall 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. 

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: The summer internship is unique in that it spans 15 weeks. The internship runs from May 28 until the start of fall classes. This is in-person, full-day, cohort work with days typically running from 8:15am – 4pm with a break for lunch. Work weeks will be 35 hours/week from the start of summer until approximately Friday, July 5th; from there we will reduce our schedule to 30 hours/week until the start of the fall semester. Due to weather, events, and the season’s needs, occasional additional hours may be requested. Some weekend hours are also expected in organizing a weekend watering schedule and for hosting special events (e.g., Reunion). Interns take two weeks of unpaid time off after July 1. (The schedule is to be determined with supervisor and in collaboration with other interns.) Please note, applicants with full-time early arrival commitments (e.g., MiddView, Residential Life, fall varsity athletic commitments etc.) will not be considered as these are peak partnership and work times for the Knoll team.  

Housing: Pending other arrangements around summer employment, housing on campus will be provided. Typically, Knoll interns live together with other summer workers in Weybridge House with access to a shared kitchen.  

General Responsibilities:  

The Knoll Summer Internship is designed as a 4 student, cohort-based experience. Summer interns join in the yearly cycle of food production and regeneration and play an important role in program development and direction. As a team, we will maintain and develop the gardens, outdoor kitchen, and serenity garden, including all aspects of market gardening and sales. Interns play an important role in establishing a welcoming learning environment for peers and visitors. They also serve to introduce the site and our mission. Interns will receive training to use the wood-fired oven to co-host events. We will tend to follow the seasonal flow of work which shapes how our time is shared; interns can expect that the role is a mix of hands-on earth work, shared learning experiences, and program development work. Summer interns work on an independent or group project on an area co-determined with the associate director. Projects may include Knoll site development, event management (e.g., Orientation) and anti-racist practice and program development. As part of our learning, we will become acquainted with farms and organizations key to our local food system.  

On-site responsibilities:  

• Serve as stewards who welcome peer and community visitors and volunteers.  

• With support of the associate director of the Knoll, and through on-the-job training, carry out all aspects of managing the Educational Garden, including seedling starting, soil preparation, sowing, transplanting, cultivation, harvest, and sales.  

• Collaborate with staff at Middlebury Dining Services, Weybridge House, Summer Schools and other local partnerships to develop orders and delivery of produce.  

• Through partnership with HOPE, our local food shelf, grow produce for the community.  

• Participate in and facilitate work days and events with volunteers and community partners.  

• In addition to regularly-scheduled hours: support events by managing the pizza oven and grounds, as needed. • Attend Knoll student org meetings during the academic year to act as a liaison. 

• Participate in and support faculty or student research programs at the Knoll, as needed.  

• Maintain tools and equipment in proper condition.  

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

• Participate in a rotating weekend greenhouse/garden watering schedule and to support events.  

• Participate in scheduled visits to local farms for observation, tours, and joint projects and partnerships.   

• Participate in Sustainability & Environmental Affairs Summer Cohort, including orientation, poster/presentations, and guest speaker series. 

• Support public-facing events and  relations initiatives with the college and local community.  

• Perform other duties as assigned.