Contact
Garden Caretaker:
Victoria Ferguson
Victoria Ferguson is an enrolled member of the Monacan Indian Nation of Virginia. She is a graduate of Marshall University and has a background in researching science methodologies to support historical information. Victoria has spent 25 years seeking first-person documentation and archaeological information to help explain and support theories on the daily living habits of the Yesáh (Eastern Siouan) populations up through the early European colonization period. She has written and presented work at Virginia Tech, Washington and Lee University, Sweet Briar College, James Madison University, and several archaeological conferences. Victoria has coordinated lectures ranging from Dietary Health, Textiles/craftmanship, Indigenous Matriarchy, Enslaved Communities of Color in Virginia, to even Soil Health and Environmental Justice. Miss Vicky was one of two founding elders who cultivated the establishment of Virginia Tech Indigenous Community Garden in 2014 and was responsible for seed-saving many of the Yesáh heirlooms. She works to share and pass her knowledge when it comes to seed-keeping and tending rare heirlooms to the Indigenous community at Virginia Tech alongside sharing her knowledge of craftsmanship.
The Indigenous Community Garden Team
Bryce Alexander Burrell
Halito, Sv hohchifo yvt Bryce Alexander Burrell. Mississippi Chahta sia hoke. (Hello, My name is Bryce Alexander Burrell. I am a proud member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and a descendant of the African Diaspora.) What I call home is Fauquier County in the northwestern region of Virginia. I am a current Agricultural Leadership and Community Education Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech. I have a Bachelor's in Individualized Studies in Engineering Technologies at Virginia State University (2020) and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Technologies at Virginia Tech (2022). I am the current president of Native@VT and the current Student Representative for The Indigenous Alliance at Virginia Tech. I have been a proud member of AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society) since 2021.
Working under the Garden Caretaker, I work to help manage the Indigenous Community Garden alongside coordinating research. My research on the further development of community gardens for marginalized communities and revolving programming around Indigenous foodways with the incorporation of digital technologies like LiDar scanning, mixed reality (Augmented and Virtual Reality), and 3d printing. My goals with my research are to explore the avenues in which education from Land-grant institutions like Cooperative Extension to support Indigenous communities through food sovereignty and regenerative agriculture.
In my free time, I like doing other outdoor activities like running, foraging, and fishing with my family. I love cooking and baking, especially using foods that I grew and foraged. I also love to do a lot of woodworking crafts like making bowls, sculptures, and Kapucha (stickball sticks). Yakoke Fehna Hoke! (Thank you so much!)
Anahí Sanchez-Moya
Hello everyone! My name is Anahí Sanchez-Moya, I was born and raised in the Northern Virginia area (shoutout to the DMV). I'm Hispanic/Latina, a daughter of immigrants with Indigenous roots, specifically Quechua from Bolivia (the Andes).
At Virginia Tech, I'm a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Political Science with a minor in Spanish. I’m a proud member of Native@VT and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). During this past semester, I served as a Peer-Mentor at the Ati: Wa:Oki Indigenous Community Center (one of my favorite places on campus). Outside of academics you will most likely find me watching movies (romance or thriller), going to Virginia Tech events with friends, exploring Blacksburg, VA, and helping the Indigenous Community Garden.
This summer, I’m most excited about getting the privilege to know each and every one of you. I cannot wait to get started! Please feel free to reach out to me or others if you have any questions or concerns. But for now, get pumped, get loud, and get excited. This will be a great summer (I can already tell)!
Mackenzie Locklear
Mackenzie Locklear is an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. She is a junior majoring in Environmental Science with minors in Wetland Science and American Indian Studies. Mackenzie is the current President of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) chapter at Virginia Tech. She is also the current Vice President of Native@VT, a social organization at Virginia Tech dedicated to advancing the visibility of Native American and Indigenous peoples on campus. Mackenzie has assisted with the planning and coordination of many events, including the 2024 AISES Region 7 Conference at NASA Langley Research Center and the 2023 and 2024 Powwow at Virginia Tech. In addition to her involvement in the student organizations, Mackenzie works for the Indigenous Community Center as a Peer Mentor.
mlocklear@vt.edu
Kailon Blue
My name is Kailon Blue, I am a computer engineering major at Virginia Tech going into my second year. I have previous outdoors volunteer experience involving working at the Animal Services unit, helping to cut down English Ivy in Chesapeake, and volunteering at Southpaw in Blacksburg which hosts a community fridge. I grew up in Chesapeake Virginia but mainly live in Blacksburg Virginia as a student. I plan to go into graduate school and work in research relating to computer science and engineering. I would like that my research be able to benefit underserved communities whether that be by learning more about how different communities interact with computer technology, how computer technology can be adapted to better serve a wider population, or circumventing predatory practices done with computer technology (like privacy invasions). As a volunteer, I hope to serve similar goals in preserving agricultural knowledge and traditions as well as making food more accessible.