brownisa « OSU Extension Internship Program

Hi everyone! My name is Jackie Ruff, and I’m thrilled to share a bit about my journey and the work I’ve been doing. Currently, I’m in my third year of undergrad at Oregon State University, majoring in environmental science with a concentration in chemistry and the environment and minoring in education. It’s been a fantastic ride so far, blending my love for science with a passion for teaching.

Rocks painted by intern Jackie Ruff for the community garden in Marion County. Photo: Jackie Ruff

I’m based out of the Oregon State University Extension Service office in Benton County, but my work takes me across various counties through the Groundwater Quality Education Program. This program is an amazing initiative that aims to protect and improve our groundwater quality. Since starting in October, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to engage with communities and make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

One of the key aspects of my role is organizing outreach events throughout different counties. These events provide free well water screening for nitrate and offer education on wells and septic systems. It’s a rewarding experience to see how these efforts help ensure the safety and health of our communities. Many people rely on well water for their daily needs and educating them about potential contaminants and how to maintain their systems is crucial. It’s not just about testing water; it’s about empowering people with the knowledge they need to protect their families and the environment.

Another project that we have been working on involves painting inspiration rocks. These aren’t just any rocks — they’re little pieces of art and hope. We donate them to the Marion County Juvenile Department to inspire visitors to maintain positive outlooks on life. It might seem like a small gesture, but sometimes a bit of color and a few encouraging words can make a world of difference to someone going through a tough time. The process of painting these rocks is therapeutic and fun, and knowing they bring a smile to someone’s face makes it all the more special.

Balancing my studies and this work can be challenging, but it’s incredibly fulfilling. My education in environmental science, particularly with a focus on chemistry and the environment, gives me a solid foundation to understand the complexities of groundwater issues. Meanwhile, my minor in education helps me effectively communicate and share this knowledge with the community. It’s a perfect blend that prepares me for a future where I can continue making a positive impact.

Hi everyone! My name is Elsa Buchholz, and I am currently going into my fourth year as an undergraduate student at Oregon State University. If everything goes according to plan, I will be graduating this coming fall. I am majoring in Public Health with an option in Health Promotion and Health Behavior, as well as a minor in Environmental and Occupational Health and a certificate in Medical Humanities. I am based in the Corvallis OSU Extension office as an intern for the Groundwater Protection Program. Although I do not have a set career path at the moment, my main passion is in environmental health. I am particularly interested in climate and reproductive health, and I want to research the intersection between the two if possible. I plan to continue my education in graduate school to explore these areas further. This internship over the summer is my first experience working with the OSU Extension Service.

Elsa Buchholz at the Tri-county business expo in Lane County — Elsa Buchholz at the Tri-county business expo with OSU Extension in Lane County. Photo: Kelci Free

This summer I hope to learn more about community outreach and the efforts that are required to make a positive impact on the health of the community and the environment. I am particularly looking forward to the opportunity to schedule, plan, and participate in my own events. While I have had the chance to help create and send out postcards for events, advertise them online, and participate in them during my internship so far, I am excited to take on the responsibility of organizing multiple events from start to finish. I have been brainstorming several project ideas that I believe will both contribute to the goals of the OSU Extension Service, as well as relate to my personal interests in the field of public health. One of these ideas is to design and implement a survey or questionnaire that gathers important information from community members. This survey would aim to better understand how people discovered the Groundwater Protection Program, and the OSU Extension Service in general, how they heard about our events, whether they had their water tested for nitrate at our events, if they received any publications on well water or septic systems, and what changes, if any, they made after attending our events. Collecting and analyzing this data would help us to better understand the impact of our efforts and identify any areas for improvement. This project would help us refine our outreach strategies, as well as ensure that we are effectively addressing the needs of the community.

My name is Madeline Breiling and I’m now in my last week of my OSU Extension summer internship in Umatilla County. This summer has gone by so quickly with so many learning opportunities and fun events. I can’t believe my internship is almost over. Throughout the summer, I have had the opportunity to plan and assist with many projects. I was able to continue many of the projects I started and enjoyed last year, as well as start many new and exciting projects for this summer.

Interns Madeline Breiling (left) and Ashley Treadwell (right) in Umatilla county at the Pendleton farmers market. Photo: Carolina Muniz

At the very beginning of my internship, I got to assist with Extension’s table at the Morrow County Children’s Fair in Boardman. We did a food sampling of two different recipes that are healthier alternatives to common afterschool snacks. We also helped children plant radish seeds to start their very own garden. This was a great opportunity to jump straight into community engagement in the first couple of days of my internship.

Throughout my internship, I have had the wonderful opportunity to assist with many classes being taught all over the county by the Umatilla County SNAP-Ed team. I got to assist with smoothie making and seed planting with the Head Start kids at the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. This was a very unique opportunity because this is the only event or class I’ve had the opportunity to do with preschool age children.

I also had the opportunity to assist with the Hydromania camp in Hermiston. Master Gardeners and researchers from the Extension office in Hermiston led an insect class. Then the SNAP-Ed team led a smoothie making class using the blender bike. This got the kids at the Hydromania camp very excited about healthy eating and physical activity.

Last summer, I handed out free food samples and educated the public about Food Hero at the Pendleton Farmers Market and the Milton-Freewater Farmers Market. This summer, I had the opportunity to expand that project by also handing out samples and educating the public about Food Hero at the Athena Farmers Market. I also got to assist with the Hermiston Farmers Market. I’ve always loved attending farmers markets and last summer I really enjoyed having a Food Hero table at the farmers market, so I am very excited I had the opportunity to continue and expand that project.

The project I am the proudest of is my work with St. Mary’s Outreach in Pendleton this summer. I got to hand out free food samples to everyone getting food from the food bank and educate them on Food Hero. I also gave the food bank many Food Hero resources to hand out to the public even when an OSU representative can’t be present. This included Food Hero tortilla recipes to tape to the bags of masa, Food Hero instructions for how to cook dried beans that are now included in every box of food the food bank hands out, and instructions for how to safely cook food in the microwave to give to members of the public who don’t have access to a stove or oven. I felt this project was very fulfilling because I felt that some of these community members would really benefit from having Food Hero resources. I also felt that my work has a more lasting impact because St. Mary’s Outreach continues to hand out the Food Hero resources I left with them to everyone who comes to get food.

Overall, I feel very proud of my work with OSU Extension this summer. I was able to take the lead on a variety of projects as well as assist team members with projects they were working on. I want to thank Shevon Hatcher for being the best person to share an office space with and for knowing the answer to any question you could think to ask, Carolina Muniz for supporting me in my projects and Karen Wagner for introducing new ideas to the Umatilla County SNAP-Ed team.

¡Hola!

My name is Flor Gaspar Marquez, and I am from Puebla, Mexico. In 2012, I embarked on a journey to the USA, speaking zero English. However, with determination, I conquered the language barrier. Currently, I’m an Oregon Coast Community College student majoring in Nursing. My career aspiration is to work initially in the Acute Care Unit, with a future transition into Public Health. I completed my first year of studies this summer and will begin my second year this fall. My strong belief in the transformative power of education fuels my passion to serve others through healthcare. Envisioning my future role as a nurse, I see myself contributing to a local hospital dedicated to assisting Hispanic individuals who encounter language barriers in accessing medical care and understanding community services. My experiences as an immigrant inspire my commitment to supporting fellow immigrants, ensuring they receive essential care and support without language obstacles.

Flor Gaspar Marquez in Lincoln county at the county fair. Photo: Flor Gaspar Marquez

My journey with the OSU Extension in Lincoln County began in 2021 during the pandemic. I collaborated with various organizations and local nurses at COVID-19 vaccination clinics, translating for Spanish-speaking individuals and supporting vaccination efforts. This experience deepened my passion for nursing and my commitment to positively impacting the Latino community. I am deeply committed to serving diverse communities and advocating for equitable access to healthcare for all.

This summer, I’m interning with the Extension for the second time with SNAP-Ed and Family and Community Health. As I wrap up my 10^th week, I have actively participated in diverse events such as the Lincoln County Fair, Cooking Matters sessions, Farmers’ Market Tours, and Food Tasting events at DHS, local stores, and WIC. Additionally, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in events at local kindergartens and camps, educating children about healthy eating habits and the importance of physical activity. In collaboration with my supervisor, we have initiated two new programs—Walk With Ease (WWE) and A Taste of Latin America Heritage. These experiences have been instrumental in boosting my confidence. Engaging with diverse communities and individuals of all ages has pushed me beyond my comfort zone, fostering significant personal and professional growth.

The WWE is an evidence-based program designed by the Arthritis Foundation that promotes daily walking to enhance joint flexibility, alleviate pain, and improve overall health through gentle exercises for everybody. Collaborating in this program has enabled me to develop essential skills such as event planning, organization, flyer design, marketing, teamwork, problem-solving, and utilizing tools like Qualtrics. These skills lay a solid foundation for my future career in nursing. I am eager to further cultivate my teaching and public speaking skills, expand my nutrition and physical fitness knowledge, and continue engaging with diverse communities. These competencies are vital for my aspirations in nursing and crucial for my growth journey. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to meaningful initiatives through this internship. Witnessing the positive impact of our efforts on the community brings me immense joy and reaffirms my commitment to making a difference through healthcare.

Hello everyone!

My name is Kimberly Alcaraz and I am interning with Oregon State University Extension Service in Lincoln County with SNAP-Ed and Family and Community Health. I will be going into my second year at Oregon State University in the fall, majoring in Public Health on the Pre-Med track. I want to become an Emergency Medicine Physician and do my best to help anyone I can. I am very optimistic that this internship will help me open my eyes and see what the community really needs help with concerning health. I was born and raised in Lincoln County, so I am very excited to be helping in the community I grew up in with the many opportunity programs we offer.

Kimberly Alcaraz Walk With Ease — Kimberly Alcaraz with stretching Walk With Ease participants. Photo: Braden Alcaraz

This summer I hope to gain a better understanding and point of view on community based nutritional programs and how they impact public health, physically, emotionally, and even mentally. Nutrition is important because it’s a way to help develop and grow mentally and physically and just feel great about ourselves and help others feel healthy as well. This internship will help me learn about the awareness of social determinants of health, preparing me for the comprehensive perspective, which is key for my future career in the medical field. I am also looking forward to working in a more professional environment during my internship. I will develop skills that I will use in the future like, communication, working with others, and problem solving. I hope to use these skills to build the type of doctor and person I want to be.

That being said, I am now in my fifth week of my internship and I’m thrilled to share some of my achievements so far. Food tasting with Food Hero has been one of the most recurring events that I have been a part of during my internship. For these events we have been looking up healthy and simple recipes on the Food Hero website and then offering them to people from the food pantry, farmers markets, summer programs, and so much more. Doing these food tastings might seem boring but they can actually be fun and most importantly impactful. We provide a different point of view on how to approach the food you might have in your pantry and for some people provide the only meal sometimes people have a day. Overall, it’s something we can do to promote healthy eating for both kids and adults. Another thing I have done during my internship is help my supervisor with cooking classes and demonstrations. We have done this for both kids and adults and I have noticed they love it. People, especially kids love being involved with an activity like these which makes my internship so much more fun.

Lastly, the main thing I will be involved with this summer is a program called Walk With Ease. This program is to help reduce pain and improve overall health. Walk With Ease is a research based program emphasis for people with arthritis being that it is published by the Arthritis Foundation, but is a program for everybody. This program is very important to me and my internship because it’s something I helped plan from the very beginning. I have helped with brainstorming, flyer making, advertising, and help lead sessions to later lead a whole session on my own. However, being that we have only had one session so far, it has been so rewarding seeing how people might actually take something from this program. People from this program will gain confidence to exercise in which they will help with pain management, social interaction, and so much more.

Overall, my internship with the Oregon State University Extension Service in Lincoln County with SNAP-Ed and Family and Community Health has been a fantastic experience so far. I can’t wait to continue this experience to learn more and most importantly help the community that has always been in my life.

Hello everyone!

I’m Daisy O’Hearn, and this summer has been an incredible journey for me as an intern with the Oregon State University Extension Service, focusing on their youth development program known as 4-H. This opportunity has not only helped me learn more about nonprofits but also showed me event planning and execution.

Daisy O'Hearn Lincoln County Fair with pig — Daisy O’Hearn at Lincoln County fair with a pig. Photo: Daisy O’Hearn

I was in the 4-H program for 10 years and that is how I learned about OSU Extension but now I know so much more about it. OSU Extension helps people in Oregon with community projects, youth programs (like 4-H), managing natural resources and much more. It provides knowledge and support to communities to help improve and support them.

Currently, I am a student at the University of Oregon, majoring in political science with minors in legal studies and nonprofit administration. Post-college, I hope to pursue a master’s degree in nonprofit management followed by attending law school. My passion for the nonprofit sector stems from a genuine enjoyment of this work and its meaningful impact on communities. My experience with OSU Extension has shown me that I want to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector.

Throughout my internship, I’ve been involved in many different tasks, with a significant focus on preparing for the Lincoln County Fair, which takes place over the 4th of July weekend. Leading up to the fair, I conducted a workshop aimed at equipping 4-H youth with the skills to clean and shear their sheep, ensuring they were well-prepared for showcasing their animals.

During the fair itself, I found myself immersed in various projects. I had the opportunity to assist judges during the fair, ensuring that competitions ran smoothly and participants were supported. I also worked at the OSU Extension booth, where I helped educate the public about the valuable services and resources available. Then working at the 4-H market allowed me to engage directly with community members and show the achievements of 4-H youth. Throughout these experiences, I was always ready to contribute wherever I was needed.

This marks my second year as an intern with the OSU Extension Service, and this summer, my goal is to hone my fundraising skills and deepen my knowledge of the nonprofit world. Being part of the 4-H program and the OSU Extension Service has been incredibly rewarding. It’s not just about learning event planning or improving my knowledge of the nonprofit world; it’s about making a real difference in the lives of people in my community. As I continue my internship, I look forward to the opportunities and experiences that come with it.

Hello, my name is Abigail Cape, and I am an intern for Oregon State University Extension in Polk County 4-H in Dallas. I am going into my second year at Oregon State University majoring in psychology with a minor in music. After I graduate, I am — as of right now — hoping to go to graduate school to get my doctorate in psychology. For my future career I hope to either have a career as a counselor with a specialty in trauma and PTSD or becoming a counselor for teens and young adults. My past experience with Oregon State University Extension Service primarily is being a member of 4-H for nine years, and volunteering with 4-H for a year. Throughout my time in 4-H I showed rabbits, bred and owned market rabbits, turkeys, and bred and owned market turkeys, as well as various leadership roles.

Abigail Cape horse clinic in Polk County — Abigail Cape helping at a horse clinic in Polk County. Photo: Abigail Cape

Over this summer I hope to learn about how the behind the scenes of fair and setting up classes for 4-H youth. One thing that I am really looking forward to this summer as an intern is my internship project and helping out with our county fair. For my project I am planning a showmanship clinic for small animals. My plan is to create a class that will cover various areas that can help youth improve their showmanship skills like, show presence, handling and show knowledge. This class will be conducted by slides and an in person class that will also be recorded so that the class can be used in future years. The clinic will be separated into four parts: show and barn attire, show presence, knowledge, and animal safety. I wanted to create this class, because when I was first showing I wasn’t given a lot of this information and had to learn as I went. I hope that this class can help people get introduced to this information in a stress-free environment. I love 4H and am so excited to help Polk County 4H in any way I can, and I can’t wait to see what this summer has in store for me.

OSU Extension Internship Program

Author Archives: brownisa

Intern empowers and inspires the community with OSU Extension

OSU Extension intern seeks to make a positive impact on community health

OSU Extension intern involved in outreach at food pantry in Pendleton

Intern initiates community programs with OSU Extension

Intern looks for ways to impact community health with OSU Extension

Extension intern in Lincoln County immersed in 4-H projects

OSU Extension Polk County intern works with 4-H youth

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