Hello! I’m Yolanda Diaz and this is my fourth summer as an Oregon State University Extension intern. I recently graduated from George Fox University with my bachelor’s in social work and will be attending Northwest Nazarene University in the fall to begin my master’s. I’m extremely grateful for the education I’ve received so far and I’m eager to continue learning. Every summer I’ve looked forward to returning to Malheur County and continuing meaningful work. This summer, I’ve had the opportunity to develop more event coordination and public speaking skills. Taking the lead on a few events was new to me, but I’m thankful to have a supportive team to guide me every step of the way.

This summer, one of my main projects was conducting a walk and read. Oregon by the Numbers shows that Malheur County has one of the lowest physical activity rates and literacy rates, which inspired me to pursue a project that would meet both needs. Our team decided to conduct a STEM Literacy Walk. This included the Frontier STEM Hub collaboration, which provided a Star Lab and “Feel the Heat” activity for two additional stations during our story walk. During this day, the goal was to increase STEM skills, physical activity, and reading skills among K-5 graders at Nyssa Elementary Summer School. To see the summer school students share about their favorite stations and see how much they enjoyed the event that day was rewarding to my team and I. Story Walks are something that I’d look forward to conducting again to show more students one way that reading can be engaging and fun. 

Another project I’ve had the opportunity to deliver with colleagues is Community Listening Sessions. These sessions were conducted for the Title V Oregon Health Authority health assessments, which are conducted every five years. Planning assessments for youth and adults was important to ensure a well-represented population from Malheur County had a voice in this new assessment. The feedback collected at these sessions will influence the health priorities that Oregon will focus on for the following years. Hearing community members’ experiences will allow the assessment to focus on the health status and needs of our rural communities in Malheur County. Recognizing that community members are the experts of their community and providing a space to share their experiences felt empowering to many and like a step in the right direction for the betterment of our community. Being from Malheur County myself, it feels rewarding to deliver this much-needed service. 

One valuable lesson I’ve learned from these events is the importance of partnerships. I recognize these events would not have been possible without the support and contributions of community partners such as the Frontier STEM Hub or Nyssa Senior Center. To all those who I’ve newly partnered with this summer, I thank you for your time and willingness to invest in my career path. I’m thankful for my supervisor who empowers me to take the lead on projects that are meaningful and relevant to my career path. Without these past summers with Extension, my professional and personal development would not be the same. I’m beyond excited to deliver more programs as we continue this summer.