Meet the New Summer 2022 Interns

This summer, I have taken on two editorial interns. Look for their author byline in our upcoming Washington Gardener Magazine issues and on this blog. As a first assignment, I asked them to write a short introduction to our readers so you can get to know them.

Hello! My name is Jamie Amadea Oberg and I am a rising senior at the University of Maryland. I am double majoring in journalism and cinema and media studies. I have also completed both the Scholars Arts and Jiménez-Porter Writers' House programs at UMD. In addition to journalism, I primarily write creative non fiction and scripts. On campus, I am the general assignment editor for The Diamondback, helping students from all disciplines and experience levels explore journalism. 

I have some gardening experience, consisting primarily of growing fresh catnip for my cats and filling terrariums with miniature plants (I just rescued a fire belly toad whose tank has multiple live plants). In total, I currently have six adorable pets. I love nature and always enjoyed visiting different farmers markets with my family in Gaithersburg. Having recently moved to the border of Washington, DC, and Silver Spring, I look forward to immersing myself more in the gardening community here. I’m super excited to expand my horticulture knowledge this summer!

Hello, everyone! My name is Victoria Vandergriff but everyone calls me Tori. I am originally from Baltimore, MD, and have a huge family back home. I am living in College Park and finishing up my senior year at the University of Maryland as a journalism major with a history minor. Growing up, my grandmother had the greenest thumb in the whole family so her house was always adorned with the most beautiful assortment of flowers, shrubbery and even fresh herbs. I grew to love gardening because of her and I’m so excited to learn even more throughout my time at the Washington Gardener.

I currently work as a barista at Zeke’s Coffee of DC and with the company, I work at several farmers markets across the DMV. I have grown a serious admiration for the local gardeners and farmers who work with me at the markets which helped make my decision to join the Washington Gardener Magazine team an easy one. At UMD, I’ve taken a wide variety of courses within the journalism school so I’m looking forward to putting my writing skills to the test in the magazine and online blog! My passion in writing is breaking news and environmental issues. This summer, I hope to gain a greater understanding of the gardening scene in DC and chat with lots of amazing people. I can’t wait to engage with all of you through my writing and explore the world of gardening even more. See you out there!