August « 2024 « OSU Extension Internship Program

Hi, my name is Heidi Moran and I have been an Oregon State University Extension intern in Union County intern. This summer was extremely busy but filled with so many incredible experiences! During my internship I mainly worked with 4-H and our Iron Chef cooking class through our Snap-Ed and 4-H programs. Before starting this internship, I was extremely involved in 4-H for nine years and my summers were always filled with many 4-H activities. As an intern I have enjoyed being able to work for 4-H and see all of the work and time that goes into putting on all of these summer 4-H events. Some of the events I helped prepare for were Eastern Oregon Livestock Show, Tri County 4-H Camp, Union County Fair, and preparation for the Oregon State Fair.

Heidi Moran, Lena Wheeling at Tri County 4-H Camp. Photo: Katie Hauser

One of the major 4-H events I helped with this summer was the Union County Fair. There is a lot of preparation work and behind the scenes work that goes into fair. The weeks leading up to fair I helped prepare exhibitor packets, clerk books and many other projects that were needed to be finished before fair began. During our pre-fair week, I clerked and helped out at the horse show. During fair I was able to clerk all of the livestock shows, help in our Oregon State Extension booth, and help prepare for the awards program. Even though it was a busy week at fair, it was fun being able to work at the fairgrounds and seeing 4-H members enjoying the fair.
Leading up to the Oregon State Fair I spent many hours preparing exhibits to be sent to Salem. I tagged all of the items, made sure that all of the exhibits had all of the necessary paperwork, and packaged them so they could safely to travel down to State Fair. It was a lot of work and took a long time but I enjoyed seeing the projects that kids had worked on all year and preparing them for State Fair.
This summer I also had the opportunity to work with our Iron Chef cooking class through the Snap-Ed program. Every Wednesday during the classes I helped make sure the kids were being responsible in the kitchen. The last class was a competition to see who could make the best one pot skillet meal. Kids were given the opportunity to be creative with what protein, grain, vegetable and sauce they were going to use in their skillet. I was asked if I would be one of the three judges for the competition. I enjoyed being able to see how creative some of the kids got with their skillets and how their cooking skills had improved over the course of the classes.
This internship has been an incredible experience. I was able to learn and grow from working with Extension. This internship has been a highlight of my summer the last two years and I am hoping to be able to do it again next summer. I am grateful for all of the experiences and relationships I was able to build this summer!

Hello! My name is Riley Hampton. This summer I served as the 4-H Intern for Oregon State Extension in Umatilla County. I am super grateful for my time working with OSU Extension this year. This summer has been full of amazing and fun work.
This summer internship was bookended by two fairs. At the beginning of the summer, I was able to help with our very first pre-fair, where exhibitors were able to compete in food contests, public speaking, fashion revue and more. This, being the first pre-fair for Umatilla County, was a learning experience for all and I am very proud of how it turned out.

4-H Club member eating a blue cupcake at Cupcake Wars — 4-H Club member at Cupcake Wars. Photo: Riley Hampton

During the week of pre-fair, I was able to lead Cloverbud Camp, a day camp for young 4-H members. The activities I designed were made with learning and doing in mind. Cloverbuds learned about plants and plant care while taking home their very own hanging plant. They learned about soil profiles at snack time, participated in a science experiment that resulted in their very own lava lamp and they created art that they were then able to turn into fair. Overall, I am very proud of my work with pre-fair and Cloverbud Camp.
With pre-fair over, focus now shifted to the Umatilla County Fair. But before we could devote too much time to the week, there were a few more competitions that needed our attention. After nine years of being an active 4-H member, this was my first year ever seeing 4-H dog show, horse showmanship and shooting sports!
Now, finally, the big one. Umatilla County Fair took place publicly from August 7th to the 10th. However, the fair truly began far before the 7th. Throughout the week, I strove to help in any way I could. This allowed me to really see what it takes to run a fair after participating in them for so long. I have a newfound respect for all those who understand the work it takes to organize an event of this size.
Genuinely, this summer has been amazing. I have had such a good time working as an OSU Extension Intern and I hope to continue this experience in the years to come. So, goodbye for now, and happy end-of-summer to all!

Holis! My name is Jazmin Contreras, and my time as the intern for the Oregon State University Extension Service in Hood River is coming to an end. This past summer has been incredible, from spending time with the amazing Extension staff, to getting to know community partners and going to Mexico again after 5 years. This summer has been beyond memorable.

A collection of images from Jazmin's internship — A collection of images from Jazmin’s internship

Since my last blog, I continued assisting with summer camp programming which was a lot of fun. On one occasion, our smoothie bike refused to smoothie (blend) and rather than be able to teach our campers the perks of a healthy smoothie, we taught them a valuable lesson in perseverance. I was very determined to get the smoothie bike to work and three calls to my supervisor and lots of pumping later, we were finally blending.

Another major component was my continued tabling. I tabled El Mercado del Valle, a back-to-school resource fair and the Hood River Latino Festival. My favorite part of tabling was being able to give my community smoke and air quality information as it became more and more pertinent to the current wildfire and smoke conditions in the Gorge. It felt rewarding to be able to give the information in Spanish to those that work in agriculture and tend to be exposed to smoke the most. Tabling alone, although nerve racking, allowed me to see my place within this community and this field of work. I am no longer just on the receiving end, I have the power to participate and facilitate change too.

The bulk of my time in this latter part of my internship has been spent on the research and writing of the 2025 Columbia Gorge Food Security Assessment background pieces. This experience really challenged my ability to self-direct and manage complex, open-ended tasks. I learned to persevere beyond my frustrations with the Bureau of Labor Statistics website and how to write and research topics that are very personal and emotional for me. This internship is not long enough for me to follow this assessment to completion, but I couldn’t be more grateful to be able to contribute to it.

While I don’t know exactly where life will take me after this, I hope it returns me to this type of work once again in my life. I hope that one day I can come back to answer all of the questions left unanswered in the food security assessment. In the meantime, I will return to Lewis & Clark College to start my third year of college. This upcoming semester, I hope to participate in the fall musical, present at the Race Monologues and begin taking classes towards my data science minor. In the spring, I will be studying abroad in Prague where I hope to take part in the International Economics and Finance Certification Program. I realize I have a very long road ahead, but as I head into the future, I will forever carry a sense of inspiration from the work I was able to partake in at OSU Extension.

Con mucho amor,
Jazmin Contreras <3

Hello! My name is Daisy O’Hearn, and I’m currently in the second part of my internship with Oregon State University Extension Service. This summer has been an incredibly busy and rewarding time for me, filled with a variety of projects and new experiences. As a political science major with minors in legal studies and nonprofit administration, this internship has provided me with invaluable hands-on learning opportunities that I’m truly grateful for. This is my second summer working with Extension, and I’ve had the privilege of working with both 4-H and, for the first time, the Master Gardener program.

Daisy O'Hearn performing health checks on animals at the Lincoln County fair. — Daisy O’Hearn performing health checks on animals at the Lincoln County fair.

My journey with OSU Extension began long before this internship. I was a 4-H member for 10 years, and last summer, I had the opportunity to intern with the organization. These experiences have greatly shaped my understanding of community outreach and education. I’m particularly thankful to Heather, the Lincoln County Extension Agent, for her guidance and for trusting me to take the lead on several projects. Her support has made me feel truly welcomed and valued as part of the team.

At the fair, I got to work closely with animals and help in the static building, which was a lot of fun. I also pitched in with printing tasks and assisted the judges. But I think my favorite part was spending time at the Extension booth. Celia August taught me how to build a sales pitch and explain OSU Extension’s mission to people who weren’t familiar with it. I really enjoyed connecting with the public and sharing what OSU Extension is all about.

In addition to my work at the fair, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with the Master Gardener program. One of my key projects was creating a “How To” guide for the Master Gardeners on using and creating QR codes. This project taught me the importance of breaking down tasks into clear, manageable steps, and it was rewarding to see the final product come together. On the 4-H side, I’m currently developing a salesmanship clinic. I’m putting together a presentation that I’ll record, so 4-H members can continue to benefit from it even after my internship ends. Salesmanship is important because it enhances effective communication skills. And it is useful not only for selling products but also for presentations, interviews and advancing careers. I believe anyone can develop salesmanship skills, and I’m excited to help 4-Hers grow in this area.

As I reflect on my experiences, I’m filled with gratitude for the opportunities I’ve had to learn and grow through my work with Extension. The summer has flown by, but I’ve gained so much knowledge and experience that I know will stay with me for years to come. I look forward to hopefully continuing my work with Extension in the future. I am excited to see how the skills I’ve developed this summer will shape my career path. Thank you for following along with my journey!

My name is Elias Stroock, and I am an environmental science major at Oregon State University in Corvallis. My primary focus is Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which aligns well with my interest in remotely sensing water bodies. The mapping capabilities of GIS are crucial for visualizing data collected through various sensing technologies.

Elias Stroock preforming water quality test

My career aspirations lean towards water law, specifically in the realm of environmental law, with a focus on assisting those most vulnerable to climate change impacts. I envision working for a small business or nonprofit to maximize my impact in areas with the greatest need.

I have no prior experience with Oregon State University Extension Service but am eager to learn about its functions and how it serves the public. I am particularly interested in honing my communication and public relations skills through event planning and utilizing platforms like Facebook to engage with the public. I anticipate enjoying county fairs and exploring new Oregon towns while addressing public concerns about well water. My interest in mapping also causes me to enjoy learning more about the areas I will be visiting so that I can connect the dots in my head regarding features and geographic locations in a given area.

For my project I am thinking of creating a GIS map to visualize nitrate testing locations across different counties. By utilizing address data from tracking sheets and inputting it into an Excel spreadsheet, I can generate a map showcasing the prevalence of nitrate testing. Once it is in the software, I am able to use different tools to showcase important features about the data. Some examples of this might be a heatmap showing which areas which had many people getting their water tested. This map can also be used by future interns within this program to target certain areas where few people have been tested. This visual tool can be used to demonstrate the program’s effectiveness and advocate for increased funding in various counties.

My summer with OSU Extension has been amazing! I have learned a lot and made many new connections. My knowledge has become deeper and I am grateful for every experience that I have had working here.

Ashley Treadwell and Madeline Breiling at the Oregon State Extension farmers market booth in Pendleton. Photo: Carolina Muniz

The goal that I had going into this internship was integrating Food Hero recipes into the high school demographics. So, I went to the high school summer school classes and taught them some recipes. I did five classes for the morning group of students and two for the afternoon group. For the morning classes I focused on demonstrating breakfast recipes. For example, we made Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies, zucchini muffins, and smoothies to name a few. For the afternoon classes I did One Pan Chicken Alfredo and Any berry Sauce, which went on top of the ice cream they made the last day of class. Each class I instructed the students enjoyed, which makes me hopeful that they will use these recipes at home.

One part of this internship I enjoyed was teaching the Growing Healthy Kids Curriculum to 2nd graders in Umatilla. My supervisor, Carolina, presented the slides and I led the physical activities. Every time, all the kids were eager to participate in the exercise I had chosen for the specific lesson. After the lesson was taught, we immediately dove into making a food hero recipe that correlated. Most of them were willing to try new foods, which they ended up taking a liking to.

One struggle I overcame working in this internship was presenting in front of groups. Although I had previous practice with talking in front of large groups, I still was not completely comfortable. Through the cooking classes that I was involved in, I believe this skill has strengthened and I am far better than when I began. This internship pushed me to develop many skills that were weak, of which I am appreciative. This will help prepare me for college and my future career.

A key takeaway I have from my time at the extension is that education is important within the community and people are willing to learn. Many are trying to better themselves and lead a healthier lifestyle, but just need a little help. OSU Extension provides this help to those who seek it, it is a great resource.

-Ashley Treadwell

Hello again everyone! My name is Forrest Pratt, and I am wrapping up my Oregon State University Extension internship for the summer. I have had the great pleasure and privilege of working under the SNAP-Ed program in Linn and Benton counties.

Oregon State Extension "Blender Bike". Stationary bike that powers a blender. — Oregon State University Extension “Blender Bike”. Photo: Forrest Pratt

I have spent this summer supporting Food Hero’s community outreach programming. This has given me lots of opportunities to practice planning events and learning from previous events to plan to make future ones more successful. Putting on programs with a food component was new to me, so I learned a lot about how to make the tasting events go well. I always enjoyed bringing the food I made out to people in the community. Providing recipe tastings at farmers markets gave people the chance to try something new and gave me a chance to talk to them about how to include more fruits and vegetables into their lives.

In addition to the farmers markets, I’ve had a few opportunities to teach nutrition lessons to local youth camps and clubs. These events are always a lot of fun, and it’s very rewarding to chat with kids and families about healthy eating! One of the highlights of these classes has been bringing our blender bike, which blends a smoothie when the bike is pedaled. The kids are always very excited to try it and are more open to trying a new food when they were a part of making it.

My experience this summer has also opened my eyes to what goes on behind the scenes to make this kind of work happen. I got to learn about and help with a lot of the planning, preparation and collaboration that is necessary to get these events out to the public.

Overall, this has been a great summer of learning for me. I have a greater understanding of nutrition and food equity issues, and I will bring that with me into my future work in education and community outreach. I’m so grateful for all the people I worked with this summer – everyone at Extension has been so kind and welcoming and their support has made this summer so much easier and more fun!

Hello everyone,

I am in the last week of my internship at the Oregon State University Extension Office in Malheur County and I have had a great summer! If you’ve read my first blog, you might remember that I was looking forward to working with 4-H youth in Malheur County. 4-H was my primary focus over the course of my internship and our fair was July 30th-August 3rd. I got to spend a lot of time with 4-H youth and work to offer them the opportunities they deserve. This summer, I spent a lot of my time preparing for fair and also helping youth with their livestock at fair. My big internship project was the show-clothes drive I hosted. This was so much fun and a great way to allow the greater community to become involved and to help develop 4-H youth.

Bennett Johnson and 4-H Youth with show clothes donations. Photo: Tessa Harnden

Through my internship this summer, I have learned quite a few things and also struggled with some others. The main struggle I’ve worked to overcome is the disappointment with my internship project. While I had a ton of show-clothes donations come in, I struggled to gain traction with the youth and did not have as large of a turn-out as I would have hoped. The show-clothes drive is something that I want to become an annual thing to continue to offer the opportunity to look good and feel good in the show ring! I am so grateful to those that donated to the show-clothes drive and I can’t wait to see how it grows and adapts in the future.

A key takeaway from my internship is the importance Extension has in working with and in the community. Malheur County is a rural, ag-based county and it is important for the community to stay connected and have the services and opportunities that Extension offers. From questions about yield rates, knowledge about wildfires, 4-H entry questions, or just offering our conference room as a place for people to gather, Extension offers it all. I am grateful to have been a part of offering these services to Malheur County.

Lastly, a piece of knowledge that I hope to use later is something I learned from the office manager at the Extension office in Malheur County: “Breathe in, Breathe Out, Move on”. It is easy for me to get hung up on things that didn’t go my way, or that I might have accidentally messed up. If I breathe in, breathe out and move on, I can move past those things and continue to grow. Through this internship, I have grown leaps and bounds in both my professional and my personal skills. This has been a wonderful opportunity and I am incredibly thankful to have been given the opportunity to intern with OSU Extension.

This summer has been filled with amazing opportunities to engage with our community and connect with partners to serve Malheur County. A highlight for me during the latter half of my internship has been working in Adrian, Oregon. For the past few weeks, we have been running a “Kids in the Kitchen” cooking camp and a sewing camp once a week, in conjunction with local community members. It has been incredibly rewarding to watch the kids learn how to sew—a skill I don’t even possess—and to see them make healthy meals, growing their confidence and independence in the kitchen.

4-H campers measuring yogurt for parfaits — SNAP-Ed Kids in the Kitchen camper measuring yogurt for parfaits. Photo: Karrington Troyer

During the cooking portion of the camp, we taught the kids how to read a recipe and measure ingredients. It was so fun to watch them catch on quickly, and we were rewarded with delicious chicken alfredo! They also worked on practicing kitchen safety, such as knife cutting skills which is so important to teach at a young age! Along with their chicken alfredo they cut up fruit and made yummy yogurt parfaits. This program offers kids in rural communities the opportunity to master a lifelong skill and engage in productive activities during their downtime this summer. Additionally, it provides them with a new way to contribute to their households. Learning to cook healthy meals is crucial for ensuring proper nutrition and saving money by reducing the need to eat out frequently. I didn’t fully appreciate the importance of this skill until I moved out for college. With most of the students ranging from third grade to 10th grade, they are already getting a head start!
As my summer internship comes to an end, I am filled with gratitude towards Oregon State University Extension and my two supervisors, Barb Brody and Toiresa Frazier. These two women have taught me so much about resilience, as well as the importance of not only serving but also listening to your community and building relationships. Our summer programming has been focused on meeting the needs of the community and to ensure this, we conducted surveys at the end of our camps and programs to gather feedback on what participants enjoyed and what we could improve. This is just one small example of how the team continued to check in to make sure we were on the right path with our programming.
One of the key takeaways from this summer is that there is always room for improvement. It’s essential to slow down, re-evaluate, and ensure you’re meeting the community’s needs. I learned that there is a system of checks and balances in extension work that I hadn’t considered before. These principles and this level of care are what I hope to bring into every aspect of my life, both professionally and personally.

-Karrington Troyer

Hello, my name is Symone. I am a summer intern with Oregon State University Extension Service in Lincoln County. During my internship I will be working primarily in Master Gardeners and Small Farms with Evelyn Smith as my supervisor but, on occasion I do work with 4-H as well. A little about me is that I grew up in Lincoln County (more specifically Newport) where during most of my childhood my mom was a Sea Grant Extension Agent and so, as a kid, I became remarkably familiar with Extension and their mission to serve people, and the involvement they have across so many communities. As for more recently I got back from doing a ten-month exchange abroad in the Czech Republic that was an incredible experience that opened my eyes to so many things. For example, how accessible things such as healthcare and public transport have become over there.

Symone Hildenbrand picks blueberries in Siletz. Photo: Evie Smith

Some other things you should know about me are that I am 4-H alumni and was in the program for eight years and throughout my time in the program, I showed dogs for all eight of those years and eventually graduated out of the program. After my internship I will be moving to Monmouth, where I will go to Western Oregon University in the fall, and I will be majoring in gerontology with the intention of becoming an activities manager at a senior center. Something I hope to get out of this internship is planning and management skills that will help prepare me for my future and for my career. Some notable things I have done so far during my internship have been going on a tour of Pacific Seafoods, helping at Lego camp and, getting to go out to Siletz every week where I get to pick blueberries at Gibson Farms. I look forward to my experiences to come!

OSU Extension Internship Program

Monthly Archives: August 2024

Long time 4-Her wraps up summer as Extension intern

Extension intern reflects on summer of fairs

OSU Extension intern finds inspiration in Hood River

OSU Extension intern connects with the public at fair

Extension intern hones communication skills

OSU Extension intern brings Food Hero to high school

Eye opening experience for Extension summer intern

Extension intern hosts “show” clothes drive

Extension intern supports rural youth

OSU Extension intern learns planning and management techniques

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