Category Archives: Statewide

OSU Extension intern shares wisdom for future interns

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Hello, lovely people! My name is Nyla Bennett, and this is my closing blog for this year’s internship. I
hope that the people around me enjoyed this summer as much as I did.

Nyla Bennett, an intern in Wheeler County, enjoys a delicious crepe at the 4-H State Fair. Photo: Sophie Grow

This was my second time working as a Wheeler County Extension Service Intern, and reflecting on the
work I did last year compared to this year, I am so incredibly proud. I’m proud of the growth of our local
4-H program. I’m proud of the 4-H members with their projects and the effort they devoted to them.
And I’m proud of the skills I have developed over this past year, and how I implemented them in this
internship.

If I could give any piece of advice to future interns coming into this position, I’d have to say: you can’t
expect yourself to be able to do everything, but if you never try, you’ll never know if you could. Very
simple and cliché, but in this internship, you get to experience a wide variety of careers and will be
asked to complete tasks you may not think you can. For instance, over the course of our fair week, I
stood in for a clerk, photographer, herdsmanship judge and handyman, to name a few. I definitely was
not experienced with some of those jobs, but I learned what I needed to do and did the best I could.
The flexibility and variety are two aspects of this internship I adore. However, I also love the expected
parts of this position. In my role, I teach and lead classes and clinics, and guide 4-Hers to give them a
scaffold as future leaders. Working with the 4-H fair Junior Superintendents, I guided them through the
process of emceeing an awards ceremony, instructed them on the importance of delegating amongst a
group of leaders and encouraged them to face the fears of public speaking.

There have been so many opportunities presented to me in this position, but one of my favorites was
getting the chance to travel to the state capital and help with the photography section at the 4-H state
fair. I was a 4-H photographer myself when I was a youth in the program. I had many of my own photos
sent to the state, and being able to facilitate this process and work with the judges was such a treat
(along with the food at Salem, I had some crepes that were to die for).

Soon, I’m going to be heading back to La Grande to continue pursuing my bachelor of science in nursing
through OHSU. Heading into the nursing program and my future career, I’m even more grateful I had the
opportunity to be in this position. I’ve managed youth and adults, adapting programs/resources to fit
their personal needs. I’ve practiced interpersonal communication, explaining foreign concepts to my
students. Lastly, I’ve really learned the importance of empathizing with someone’s situation, so I can
understand exactly what they need and be more effective with both of our time. I’m excited to take
these refined skills into my day-to-day practice.

Capturing the mission of Extension through a photographic lens

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Two people in brimmed hats look at a yellow flower.
Avry Miller and a member of the Regenerative Farming Fellowship.
Photo credit: Alyson Yates.

Hello readers!  My name is Alyson Yates, and I am a multimedia intern for OSU Extension Communications.  I am a senior in the Oregon State University Agriculture and Natural Resource Program, where I am earning a bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences. This is my third year in the OSU Extension internship program.

After spending the past two summers working in 4-H and agricultural research in my home of Lake County, I hoped to expand my view of Extension beyond the county level.  The Extension Communications internship was a fantastic opportunity for me to get involved in a new way, by contributing my skills in photography and video to further the mission of Extension through outreach and engagement.  Additionally, I saw the Extension Communications internship as a valuable way to gain digital media experience and further develop my professional portfolio.

Five young men stand ready to aim bows.
Curry County shooting sports members.
Photo credit: Alyson Yates

I began my internship eight weeks ago, setting out with my camera in hand to document the work of Extension professionals and their impact on Oregon’s communities.  One of my goals is to capture the diversity of Extension’s programming— through 4-H youth development, agriculture, natural resources, family and community health, and more.  To accomplish this, I’ve photographed youth camps, educational classes, field research, farmers markets, tours with local producers, and meetings with stakeholders.  Along the way, I am also creating video interviews of Extension staff, interns, volunteers, and youth leaders answering the question, “What does Extension mean to you?”

So far, my work has taken me to nine counties around the state, with many more yet to come.  As I continue to learn about the many ways that Extension serves people in every corner of Oregon, I can’t help but feel more excited about my journey to capture the mission of Extension!

Farms to Forests: How I Landed in Extension

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Adrian Gallo (right), part of the inaugural cohort of the Oregon State University Extension Service Interns, interned at the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.
Adrian Gallo (right), part of the inaugural cohort of the Oregon State University Extension Service Interns, interned at the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Courtesy Adrian Gallo.

It was a five-hour drive every Fourth of July across California’s San Juaquin Valley to the Sierra Nevada mountains where my father would take me backpacking. The drive transitioned from the perfectly smooth and manicured agriculture fields glistening in the sun, to the chunky granite rock outcrops where water limitations and minimal soil nutrients produced plant life that fought for survival. Surrounded by scraggly trees and big mountains on those backpacking trips are what made me curious about the ecosystems in danger from climate change. Just as important, what a changing climate meant for people who depend on the land.

Granite Lake in the Desolation Wilderness remains one of my favorite places in the Sierras. Depending on the snow year, alpine lakes don't always melt out by the Fourth of July.
Granite Lake in the Desolation Wilderness remains one of my favorite places in the Sierras. Depending on the snow year, alpine lakes don’t always melt out by the Fourth of July. Courtesy Adrian Gallo.

I’m Adrian Gallo and I’m a part of the inaugural cohort of the Oregon State University Extension Service interns. As a young teenager I loved being outside to play soccer or go hiking, no doubt as a result of those backpacking trips. I also had a curiosity for chemistry and biology. Studying soil science was the avenue I found to connect both my outdoor hobbies and academic interests. By understanding how the soil functions underfoot, and the ecosystem built on top of them, we can predict what land managers need to do in the face of a rapidly shifting climate. Nearing the end of my undergraduate degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I became more intrigued by the fundamentals of soil science. By asking more questions I realized I was hitting the edge of knowledge that my professors, and the discipline, were able to offer.

My curiosity led me to pursue graduate school to try and push the knowledge boundary forward. After internships with the USDA Forest Service in Alaska and Oregon, I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. Growing up under the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge I never would have predicted how much I love the rain, thick moss and the evergreen hillsides that are ubiquitous in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University has one of the best forestry schools in the world, so I applied to graduate school focusing on forest soil carbon cycling. Even before I arrived at OSU, my goals were to use the knowledge gained about soils and climate change to help people.

Working in the Tongass National Forest as a soil scientist, our work commute sometimes involved being helicoptered into remote areas, being dropped off in flat alpine wetlands called muskegs, to examine forests and the soils of the surrounding area. My co-worker Jerome Barner waves goodbye for the day.
Working in the Tongass National Forest as a soil scientist, our work commute sometimes involved being helicoptered into remote areas, being dropped off in flat alpine wetlands called muskegs, to examine forests and the soils of the surrounding area. My co-worker Jerome Barner waves goodbye for the day. Photo by Adrian Gallo.

One of my first experiences with the OSU Extension Service was a faculty candidate describe her research as the “the intersection between humans and the environment.” Where the (research) rubber meets the (real-life) road. As I came to learn, Extension is more than just agriculture – it also includes marine science through Oregon Sea Grant,  forestry through the Forestry and Natural Resources Program, Family and Community Health, and youth leadership through 4-H and other programs.

At OSU, I’ve co-hosted a science communication podcast, Inspiration Dissemination, a platform for graduate students to describe their ongoing research. I’ve enjoyed that process more than I could have imagined; connecting the science done by people to the people who the science can help. I’ll have a similar approach this summer in the Extension and Experiment Station Communications office. I’ll write about Extension research performed both on campus and across the state, so that Oregonians can see how our efforts should make them proud of our fellow Beavers.