Virginia grew up in Fairview, North Carolina, where she gained a love for nature from an early age. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Pratt Institute, and living in Brooklyn, New York for several years, Virginia moved back to her hometown. Here, she rediscovered the beauty of the mountains, as well as her keen interest in science. Virginia is a graduate student in Science Education at North Carolina State University, and a North Carolina Teaching Fellow. In her AmeriCorps role, she hopes to connect people from all walks in Western North Carolina with fun, educational, transformative experiences of nature. In her free time, Virginia enjoys hiking, yoga, photography, listening to music, cooking new recipes, and hanging out with her family and her kitty Mojo.