4-H « OSU Extension Internship Program

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!

Hello everybody,

My name is Hailey Cunningham. I am very fortunate to be the intern at the Oregon State University Extension office in Morrow County, in Heppner this summer. My work mostly evolves around the 4-H program, but I also do many other tasks around the office. I did not grow up in Heppner, but have been living here for three years. I grew up in Wallowa County and some time in a little town called Frenchglen in South-Eastern Oregon.

Hailey Cunningham, OSU Extension Intern in Morrow County. Photo: Jessica Tomasini

I am currently going to school at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton and will be graduating with my associates of agricultural business this spring. I will be continuing my education by going on to receive my bachelor’s, but I am looking into options of where I want to attend. I did 4-H all through my grade school and high school career, so I have been in the extension office many times to get forms and do things that needed to be done for my various 4-H projects, but that was as far as my knowledge went for understanding what the Extension Service does. I am now quickly learning what Extension really does and all the facets that are offered under our office.

I hope to further my knowledge in the 4-H program so that I can come back and volunteer and have a greater understanding of what needs to be done. I am really looking forward to our fair and getting to help prepare for this event and help during that week. I am also looking forward to creating a project that will serve as my end of summer farewell. My project will be involving Cloverbuds and future Cloverbuds to try and boost enrollment through this amazing program. My hope is that through this project it will give kids the enthusiasm to chase their dreams and become future 4-H members.

Hello! I am Georgette Brewer, and this is my first blog of my summer internship at the Oregon State University Extension Office in Lincoln County. I have been working currently for four weeks now and things have already been exciting and I have had many valuable experiences. However, I know that there are more to come as I continue to work for the Extension Service over the remaining course of the summer of 2024.

Georgette Brewer working in the OSU Extension office in Lincoln County. Photo: Georgette Brewer

As a recent graduate, I am not too sure where my major or minor will fall into. I have considered different careers, but I have narrowed my decision between two different fields of work that are forensic science and animal science. If I choose the forensic field in the future, my career goal is to either be a forensic anthropologist, or a blood spatter analyst. On the other hand, if I decide to go into animal science, I was thinking about something like equine science or herpetology, which is the study of lizards or reptiles.

What I am hoping to get out of this summer with working for the Extension Service in Lincoln County, is mostly work experience. This internship is my first job, so I am hoping to get a glimpse of the job field, what it looks like, and give me an idea of what I would experience. I am also open to learning new things, eager to help where I can, and enjoy working with my hands and OSU’s Extension Services offer a wide range of topics and knowledge to learn and explore that indulge all those areas. My previous experience with the Extension Service is very minimal as I only knew that it had connection to 4-H, a program that I have participated in since I was in middle school. I have served as a junior leader with the Anchor Point Archery Club that Shelley Spangler runs in Newport. Currently, I am just out of high school, so I am learning my way around the 4-H aspect of things, so I do not have a project in mind. One of the things I do see, on the other hand, is that staff can use help with organizing files and other documents.

Hi my name is Heidi Moran! This will be my second summer as an Oregon State University Extension intern in Union County. I just finished my second year at Eastern Oregon University where I am majoring in elementary education. I was involved in 4-H for 9 years and last summer I really enjoyed having a larger role in 4-H events around Union County. So far this summer I have helped at Eastern Oregon Livestock Show, Tri County 4-H Camp, and our Iron Chef Cooking Class. I really enjoyed working and helping at these events which I had participated in for many years while I was in 4-H.

Heidi Moran serving lunch at Tri-County 4-H Camp. Photo: Katie Hauser

At the beginning of my internship, I was able to work out at Eastern Oregon Livestock Show in Union, OR. I was able to help with some of the livestock shows, answer questions, and help with awards. It was a great way to start off my summer internship.

A highlight so far from the summer was helping with Tri-County 4-H Camp. I was able to help prepare for the camp by organizing camp supplies, make cabin boxes, and counselor binders. At 4-H Camp I taught an ice cream making class, popped popcorn for the movie night, and helped where needed during the camp. 4-H Camp was something I always looked forward to each summer when I was younger and I enjoyed having a larger role this year.

This has already been a great summer and I am excited to see what the rest of the summer has in store for me

Hi again, Sienna Mahaffy from Coos County here! This summer has been pretty incredible. I got to work with the Food Hero program multiple times, educating the public on the resource through farmers markets and cooking classes! I also got to spend a day working in the field with Coos and Curry County’s forestry agent, tracking down and collecting samples of a new disease that is causing defoliation of myrtle trees. The Coos County Fair was crazy busy, but super successful, definitely the highlight of my summer. A year’s worth of preparation by the Oregon State University Extension Service in Coos County, 4-H members, and volunteers culminated into a busy, stressful, and fun week.

Sienna Mahaffy at a Food Hero Booth in Coos County Photo: Nicole Wells

I had a blast with my internship project. I was responsible for restarting the annual Milk Drinking Contest under 4-H at the fair. I enjoyed reaching out to my contacts in the dairy industry to ask for donations of milk and prizes. Working with local dairy farmers at the event and bringing positive attention to the industry with the record number of participants and crowds made the event so much more rewarding. It was remarkable to see the excitement generated by a simple relay race and the effect it had on the 4-H kids, families, and visitors of the fair.

Assisting in the organization and operations of the Livestock Judging and Master Showmanship contests was another highlight of fair. I was responsible for rounding up volunteers and animals for judging, as well as helping the event run smoothly. I also assisted in finding judges for Master Showmanship, asking former winners and professionals in their species to judge. In both events I and a couple volunteers calculated and recorded the scores of the contestants, a long, tedious job that I actually enjoyed.

Through this internship I learned the importance of delegating responsibilities. 4-H is an incredible program run by some incredible people, but it would be impossible to operate without volunteers and the community’s willingness to help. Coos County’s two 4-H agents are great at their jobs, but they can not be everywhere and do everything, so they ask for help and delegate duties that need to be completed to willing and responsible volunteers, or interns in my case!

Hello Everyone,

My name is Tayleur Baker, and I am a sophomore at Oregon State University studying speech communication with a minor in agriculture sciences. My passion for the agriculture industry sprouted through my various experiences throughout my childhood. To start, I grew up in Harney County, right outside of Burns, and I fell in love with the agriculture industry on my family’s fifth generation cattle ranch. Later, I began showing livestock and became involved in my local 4-H and FFA programs. At the beginning of my senior year of high school, I encountered an experience of a lifetime, and traveled to Washington D.C. to speak with senators and representatives, which captivated my attention and interest, and opened the door of agriculture communications to me. In the future, post-graduation, I hope to continue in agriculture communication and become an advocate for the industry.

4-H day campers learning with Legos. Photos: Tayleur Baker

This is my second-year interning with Oregon State University Extension Services and I’m loving it. Last year, I served within the OSU Extension office in Harney County as an office intern, and this year, I’m working within the newly created title of being the remote Eastern Oregon multimedia communications intern. Unlike last year, instead of serving within the same county for the whole year, I travel to various different Eastern Oregon counties to assist with providing media coverage. My goal throughout this internship is to be able to serve Eastern Oregon and tell the story along the way. I feel that Eastern Oregon often gets overlooked as nowhere land to pass through, but there is so much more to it than meets the eye. This summer, I am ecstatic to receive the opportunity to prove just that.

Throughout my internship thus far, I have worked on professional development, videography for OSU Extension, and I attended a day camp in Sherman County. In the weeks ahead, I hope to continue with this work and attend more events, gather stories from more counties, and showcase the role of OSU Extension in Eastern Oregon. Upon the closing of my internship, I hope to have substantial media to produce a video about Eastern Oregon and the amazing work currently being done there. I look forward to becoming an advocate and resource throughout this summer’s internship experience while growing professionally as well.

Have a great summer!

Respectfully,

Tayleur Baker

I am Matthew Harting and I am a mechanical engineering student at Oregon State University. This summer I have been working at the OSU Extension office in Douglas County for 4-H. I haven’t had any prior experience with the Extension Service and my experience with agriculture is also limited. Nevertheless, I have been learning a lot about 4-H and am very grateful for the opportunity to intern with the Extension office.

Mathew Harting painting at 4-H Clover Bud Camp in Douglas County

Recently, I got the opportunity to teach at the Cloverbud camp in the Discovery Gardens in Roseburg. I was in charge of an exhibit called ‘The Mud Explosion’. When I informed the 4-Hers of this, you may imagine, their anticipation and curiosity were captured. Little did they know, the real display is better described as a small pop. However, they seemed not to care which I was thankful for.

I did the routine three times for three groups. By the time of the third group, I had gotten pretty good at it. The ‘explosion’ worked by filling a vial with runny mud and sealing it with an Alka-Seltzer. Eventually, the Alka-Seltzer would produce enough gass that it would blow open the vial it was in and make a muddy mess all over the launch pad (construction paper). The highest we vial we were able to launch landed in a small tree. Whomever wished to take the remaining muddy paper home then would be able to, undoubtedly to their parents’ delight.

Beyond the Cloverbud camp, I most look forward to the looming Douglas County Fair. Most of the work I have done thus far in my internship has been in preparation it. Before I became involved, I didn’t fully realize or appreciate all of the work it takes to have a county fair every year. I’m well aware now.

My job there will be to help with the daily tasks, such as counting and running ribbons to the appropriate places as well as any odd job that may come up and require attention. I am looking forward to this a lot! Regardless, in my second blog post I’m sure I will have plenty to say regarding Fair.

Hello again, from the Oregon State University Extension in Tillamook County 4-H Intern, Alli Dixson. There are only about two weeks left of my internship and it still feels like it just began. Somehow it has already been two months of hard and fulfilling work (and a healthy dose of chaos).

Campfire skits at wild west camp. Photo: Alli Dixson

To be quite frank with you, I have barely been in the office at all in the past two weeks. And I will hardly be in the office at all in the next two weeks. However, this is not due to any lack of work, tasks, jobs, or anything of the sort. I have been taking my work on the road! Much of this internship has had me working at different events and locations across the western part of the state.

My trips include:

Summer Conference at OSU in Corvallis
Wild West Camp at The Oregon 4-H Center in Salem
Swine Judge at Columbia County Fair in St. Helens (outside of work but still awesome!)

Coming up very soon (like starting this week) the majority of my time will be spent at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds.

As I mentioned above, I attended Wild West Camp at the 4-H Center, where I served as the assistant director. Wild West Camp is a 4-H camp for kids ages 9-13. Campers participate in a wide variety of activities and lessons such as arts and crafts, fishing, equitation, archery, environmental sciences, leadership/relationship skill building, etc. We also have a very strong team of youth leaders that run cabins, manage campers, lead activities, and many other things. My role at camp was somewhat all encompassing. One moment I would be applying a bandage or ice pack to a small wound, the next I was helping youth tie-dye, not a moment later I would be consoling campers and cabin leaders alike on their concerns or issues. I fielded a wide range of questions, conversations, and intense feelings from youth about their camp experience. This was a great experience for my personal and professional development and I am happy to have been “Gator” (my camp name) to another year’s worth of campers.

We are very quickly approaching the Tillamook County Fair. It begins on August 7th, but for me and others in my office it has already been underway for weeks. We have been hard at work preparing for the fair and organizing events leading up to fair week.

My personal tasks for fair preparation and during fair week include:

Creating recognition posters for horse fair, fashion revue, and foods and presentation contest
Social media posts for:
- Fair Schedules
- Member/Leader Awards
- Event Spotlights
- Recognition posts
- Fashion Revue
- Foods and Presentation Contest
Creating materials for and running the Livestock Quiz Bowl
Creating the awards script and slide show
Finding and managing a photographer
Running Master Showmanship

Additionally, I serve as one of the two “Swine Superintendents”, meaning that I am largely responsible for the happenings of the barn and the running of all swine shows.

Needless to say, I am absolutely swamped with all things county fair, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I absolutely love fair and enjoy the chaos that it brings to my life. On top of all of the fair activities I am preparing to move to the Corvallis area immediately following the county fair so that I can begin my master’s program at OSU.

Hello! My name is Riley Hampton, I just finished my first year at Southern Oregon University in Ashland. I am super excited to start my internship with Oregon State University Extension. I am working this summer with the 4-H program in Umatilla County, an organization I am very familiar with as I have been a member of Umatilla 4-H since I was 9 years old.

Clay Pig made by 4-Her Katie Knudsen. Photo: Riley Hampton

Even though the summer just started, Umatilla County 4-H is in full swing. The fair is just around the corner, and just last week was our very first Umatilla County 4-H Pre-Fair. Exhibitors competed in Food Preparation Contests, Fashion Revue, Table Setting, and Presentations. It was amazing to see all the involvement by the 4-H members this past week.

Another first for Umatilla County 4-H, was our inaugural Cupcake Wars competition, which took place on Thursday of Pre-Fair. 4-H Members compete in teams of two and together create a dozen themed cupcakes in two hours. This year’s themes were “vacation” and “Dr. Seuss”. I was very impressed with the work these members presented, even if I was very full of cupcakes by the end of the day.

This year marks the 3^rd annual Camp Cloverbud, and I was lucky enough to be able to lead it on the last day of Pre-Fair. Twenty Cloverbuds came to participate in five educational activity stations, taking home five different projects that can be entered into fair. One of my goals regarding Camp Cloverbud was to teach Cloverbuds about many different parts of 4-H activities. Campers participated in an art project, livestock project, plant project and even a science experiment!

I am currently studying emerging media and digital arts at Southern Oregon University, with hopes of becoming a digital artist and animation showrunner. I am using my design experience to create new displays that will be presented at the Umatilla County Fair. Wish me luck!

I am super proud of everything that happened during Pre-Fair and I’m very excited for the rest of the summer! I am located at the OSU Extension Office in Hermiston. I hope to meet you all this summer at Umatilla County Fair in Hermiston, Oregon, August 7-10. Stay cool and see you soon.

Without the opportunities that OSU Extension has offered me I know I would not be the self-reliant person I am today. I have been a 4-H’er for eight years, and have been able to increase my knowledge through educational events, inspiring programs and transforming travel. Now, after I have graduated from high school and am heading off into adulthood, I have the chance to work with Extension, and not only build my professional proficiency but have the opportunity to help youth also experience such enriching moments.

Nyla Bennett High School Graduation Photo — Nyla Bennett high school graduation photo. Photo: Patrick Farrell

Hi, my name is Nyla Bennett. I’m proud to say that I am a student intern at the Oregon State University Extension office in Wheeler County. It’s been almost a month since I graduated high school and then four days later started this job. I’ve enjoyed every second of it.

Since finishing high school, I have realized that a majority of my favorite memories and closest friends have stemmed from the 4-H program. The events that had brought me and my peers together I now work on to continue and make better. Now, I get to be a larger part of our Tri-County 4-H Camp, 4-H Field Day, Clover Bud Day Camps, County Fair, State Fair and so much more. I have already been working on advertising, organizing and orchestrating these events and can’t wait to lead and teach them as the summer goes on.

However, I’m anticipating what will come after this summer ends even more. I’m planning on attending Eastern Oregon University and applying to their branch of OHSU for Nursing. I hope to earn my BSN and become a registered Nurse. From there I anticipate working a few years and hopefully having the opportunity to become a traveling nurse. I then aim to find a specific area I enjoy to specialize in, and pursue a master’s degree.

This position with OSU is a blessing I’m incredibly grateful for. I find this position enriching. It’s an experience I have not had before. In our incredibly rural area, there are limited job opportunities that aren’t an hour away. Learning from my supportive supervisor, preparing for my future, and being able to help kids expand their worldview is a gift. One I hope to pass on through my dedication to “Making the Best Better.”

OSU Extension Internship Program

Category Archives: 4-H

OSU Extension intern learns planning and management techniques

Intern hopes to boost enrollment in OSU Extension

OSU Extension intern hopes to gain work experience

Extension intern returns to 4-H in a larger role

OSU Extension intern starts Milk Drinking Contest at Fair

Extension intern combines passions for communication with agriculture

OSU Extension intern receives a muddy introduction to 4-H

Oregon State Extension intern looking forward to becoming graduate student

OSU Extension intern brings Cupcake Wars to Umatilla County pre-fair

OSU Extension intern steps into a new chapter

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