Hello again! I am Georgette Brewer, and this is my second blog of my summer internship this year at the Oregon State University’s Extension Office in Lincoln County. I have been working currently for over seven weeks in the intern position and I can say that I have had a pleasurable experience this summer!

I was most looking forward to getting a look at the job field, what it looks like and giving me an idea of what I would get out of the experience. I can say that Extension Services did not hold back with the number of things there are available for people to engage in with others. I realized that there was more than I had expected outside of 4-H subjects I knew like archery and raising animals, such as cooking, gardening, photography and more. Thus far, I have been a part of the prepping stages of the State Shooting Sports Contest, the county fair and STEAM Summer Camp during the summer. I can say that I have been more than happy with the internship so far. It was entertaining to play a part in such a large community-held fair that I have been to a lot as I grew up, or to help with the preparation of the shooting sports state contest for the year 2024.

However, a struggle that I recognize I have is taking initiative in situations. It usually takes me a while to get into the groove of certain things and I know that it is something I can improve on. To make myself a better employee and intern for not just this job, but any others that I may have in the future. A key takeaway that I have of my experience this summer is that it was a wild ride. There were so many things to help with and do that I did not have much time to sit still. I am still thankful that I was able to do something with my hands that would help prevent that. A piece of knowledge I hope to use later from my time in this position would be the experience itself. This job had taught me job manners, or how to behave, along with the mindset it requires for one to work proficiently. My project is something that I have changed many times, trying to find what sticks. Going from just organizing files and supplies, to other ideas that I was not sure had fit. I felt that I could do more and my mind wandered to other subjects I have an interest in. One of the topics my mind drifted to was Forensic Science and Animal Science immediately. With a little brainstorming with my 4-H instructor, Shelley Spangler, I had produced something for my project that both aligned with my interests and could potentially be used for a game to identify things in nature.