Meet the Creative Design Intern!

Meet Nathalie Lassiter!

Hello all! I’m Nathalie Lassiter, Zoar Tapatree’s 2026 Creative Design Intern. I live in Watertown, New York and am a rising junior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. Before I discuss my role further, I’d like to share a little more about myself. I moved to the North Country with my family about a decade ago for my father’s career in the United States Army. While living here, I’ve had the opportunity to experience life in a community heavily supported by agriculture, which has brought me much joy, especially in spaces where locally sourced and crafted products are involved. Going to the Watertown Farm and Craft Market was much of my introduction to these locally made products. Whether it was candles, honey, or fresh produce, I have always found it fascinating how individuals in our local community were able to produce items unique to our region and environment. What also made these products especially important was their artisanal value. The experience of trying hand-crafted, small batch products created by local minds allowed me to gain an understanding of authenticity in the realm of agricultural goods, something that we often take for granted in our mass production driven society. So for me, having the opportunity to work with Zoar Tapatree means being able to spread my love for these local, handcrafted products with the world, which means a lot to me.

When I began attending college at Hobart and William Smith in the fall of 2024, I arrived on campus certain that I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. But throughout my academic experience, I slowly began to change paths. In my first semester of college, I was placed in an art history class alongside my general education requirements. I didn’t think much of it at the time, as I was still heavily leaning towards a medical career and just saw it as an extra fun class. But looking back, it opened up a world of possibilities that I had never considered for work. The arts have always been a big part of my life; I played musical instruments and participated in chorus from a young age, as well as created art as a hobby outside of school. But, I never seriously considered those things for my career; I always thought that as much as I

loved those parts of my life, that they were things meant to complement my professional life, not be a part of it. My progress in the sciences slowed, whereas my progress in the arts had done quite the opposite. That, alongside many of life’s challenges, lead me to change my academic path. Making that decision was difficult for me, as I never really considered what my life would be like doing something else professionally. I wasn’t even sure what I could do with my degree, which led me to feel very unsure about my future, especially after college.

However, as I pursued more studies in the Art History and Studio Art departments at Hobart and William Smith, I learned that there were in fact many ways that I could incorporate my love for the arts and creative thinking into my career. My role as the Creative Design Intern here at Zoar Tapatree is going to be my first real experience dipping my toes into the world of creative story telling. What makes me most excited is that I get to use my skills and passion to talk about some of my favorite things: local agricultural goods and food! Throughout these five weeks, I hope to bring a newfound lens through which Zoar Tapatree products can be viewed: a simultaneous culinary and environmental experience where we all get to discover what makes this brand so special to our region. Whether through written pieces like this, videos about the products, or simply sweet photos of the Zoar Tapatree product line, I hope this time brings you all closer to the Zoar Tapatree brand and its mission!

Cheers,

Nathalie