2024 WINTER/SPRING INTERNS
Phoenix Mitchell
Grassroots Organizing Intern
Phoenix is joining Rural Vermont as the Grassroots Organizing Intern for the Winter/Spring 2024. Phoenix and his family of four live in Worcester. He spends half his time as a stay-at-home dad, half his time working as a bike mechanic, and half his time co-running his little homestead of chickens and sheep. Yes - that's three halves or 150% of his time -- at least that's how it feels during the busy parts of the year! He is passionate about bicycles, community living, and living close to the land.
Melissa MacDonald
Communications Intern
Joining the Rural Vermont Intern team as a much needed Communications Intern for Winter/Spring 2024 is Melissa MacDonald. Melissa is an aspiring homesteader with a background in experimental theatre for rural communities. She earned her BA from Middlebury College and is currently a master's student at Dartmouth College. Her research considers the cultural politics of ecological economics, particularly degrowth and other forms of wellbeing economies.
Noah Lafaso
Legislative Intern
Noah, joining us for the Winter/Spring 2024 season, is a senior studying English and French Literature at the University of Vermont who currently lives in Essex. He became interested in farming and agrarian policy after spending two summers as a farm hand at a small organic farm in Southern NH. Afterwards, he immersed himself in local politics as a journalist for UVM’s Community News Service, where he wrote stories for publications like The Essex Reporter and VTDigger. As a Legislative Intern, he hopes to bring his skills as a writer and his commitment to direct political action to a new arena. In his free time, Noah enjoys hiking and biking across Vermont, as well as reading, writing, and listening to music.
Sadie Faris
Legislative Intern
Sadie grew up and works on her parents certified organic diversified farm in grand isle Vermont. She first got interested in the legislature and advocacy by coming to the state house as a kid with her parents to testify and through working as a legislative page in the 2022 legislative session. She is currently in high school and looking forward to graduating and whatever happens after high school.
Lily LaFaye
Agroecology School Intern
I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and moved to Vermont to study Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at Sterling College. I graduated in December, 2023, and now live in Wolcott with my roommate, Ren, and our two cats, a turtle, two fish, and a new puppy.
My final project at Sterling was titled “Learning to Share,” a research endeavor that explored methods in which humans educate one another and learn craft. I worked to learn how to tan hides, then designed and facilitated a tanning workshop. In preparation, I attended a rabbit butchering workshop through Rural Vermont, thus prompting my desire to reach out about interning :)
I am eager to continue learning! I’d love to keep designing workshops but am most excited to meet and make new connections.