My name is Anna-Grace Fraley, and I am the Wise County Extension Intern for Summer 2023. I am from Gate City, Virginia. I am a Junior at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. I am majoring in Environmental Science and minoring in public health. My interest in gardening sparked from seeing my dad and my papaw garden. My papaw was a big tobacco farmer, but as he has gotten older, only has a small garden now. It was always so interesting to hear them talk about what they were growing that year, and especially what they planned to can for the winter. My papaw was all about food preservation. Every year, my dad always let me help with our garden. He always let me pick out what we planted and explained things to me. When I was trying to decide what I wanted to major in, I decided I didn’t just want a desk job. I wanted to help my community learn. Many people today do not even know where to start in gardening, landscaping, and even in food preservation. This is one of the reasons that I am so excited to help with the Grow Wise program! One goal I have for this summer is to absorb as much information as I can. I am a “learn by doing” type of person, so I am so thankful to receive this hands-on learning opportunity. I look forward to visiting the Grow Wise gardens and hopefully helping as much as I can!