A Rewarding Start

            When I first started my internship a month ago, I had no idea what to expect. I was returning to my home county to work with my 4-H agent who I had known for years, and yet everyday has still been a surprise for me.

            My first week as an intern I hit the ground running. From the beginning my agent showed me all the technicalities of being an agent like paperwork and reporting, as well as the basics of how our office runs. In Ohio County, we have one 4-H agent, an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent, a Family and Consumer Sciences agent, a 4-H program assistant, a FCS program assistant and 2 support staff. The first big event my first week was a District 6 staff meeting. Our district director, David Herbst, came and discussed with all the agents of the district about new policies and information involving Cooperative Extension, including new evaluations, travel requests and feedback for improvement. On Thursday, we had livestock validation at the county park. There we worked with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to ear tag over 200 sheep, hogs and goats.

            My third week on the job, I had my first overnight 4-H trip at Ag Camp. One of our local elementary schools takes their sixth graders on a trip to a local farm and they spend the night at 4-H camp. Cooperative Extension invites several people in the field of agriculture to come teach the kids about different topics, including entomology, soil science, and forestry. In the evening, we had a mega relay race between the classes that the kids really enjoyed. For some of the kids, this was their first experience at 4-H camp and it motivated them to sign up for regular 4-H summer camp. This was one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences as an intern thus far because I witnessed the kids learning about things outside of their comfort zones and enjoy their experience.

            One of the main projects I was in charge of was our Cloverbud Camp. Cloverbuds are kids that are too young to be official 4-Hers (under 9 years old). We organized a day camp where that came and practiced their crafting skills and creativity. We made masks, flower pots, concrete stepping stones, tie-dye shirts and several other projects that allowed the kids to express their creativity and have a good time. That same week we also went on a trip to Holiday World to reward our active members who had completed 2 or more 4-H activities on the county level.

            So far my intern experience has been everything and more than I imagined it would be. There’s a lot of hard work and time commitment involved, but it also has those golden moments that make it all worth it. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer holds!