Tag Archives: East Oregon

Looking back, I wouldn’t change anything

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Joseph O’Brien recently completed an internship in the OSU Extension office in Umatilla County.

I would like to start by saying I’m very grateful and appreciative to have had the opportunity to work as a student intern through the OSU Umatilla County Extension Service. Throughout these past 10 weeks, I’ve worked on countless projects, interacted with community members, and grown personally.

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, this internship has proved me wrong again and again. For instance, obtaining knowledge about the programs, resources, and workshops offered to everyone in the nearby communities of Umatilla and Morrow counties.

Toward the beginning of this internship, I was encouraged to create two personal objectives. Here is what I came up with: Grow within a professional work environment/improve my work ethic skills, and provide educational content about community health to young adults and youth in nearby communities.

One way I’ve incorporated these objectives into this experience is through the STEM Saturday experiments for kids that my fellow intern Ruben and I have been working on throughout this entire internship. An example would include a water tension experiment. I explained that when you dip dish soap into pepper-covered water, the water tension is disturbed. Therefore, the pepper is pushed to the edges of the plate. One way I related this to my community health objective is washing your hands. This allowed the kids to imagine that the pepper is dirt, bacteria, or any other bacterium/infective agent and explaining how important it is to wash your hands under warm water with soap for at least 20 seconds. I felt this was especially important to include considering the global COVID-19 pandemic.

During this process, Ruben and I created “Take and Make” sheets and a lesson plan for these six different water-based experiments. This part of the project really incorporated both objectives I created by allowing us to provide knowledge, collaborate with each other and relay information to our supervisor, and educate others while still having fun!

On the occasion that I was asked what my internship entailed, I made sure to tell them about how I was able to connect with community members, help at workshops, take projects head on, grow professionally, and develop skills that are not offered many places. Additionally, I would like to encourage those who seek challenges, a variety of tasks, and who want to learn more about the community they reside in to research this internship opportunity.

None of this would have been possible without my amazing supervisor, Anna Browne or fellow intern and friend Ruben Lopez. When I look back at this internship experience and my involvement with the OSU Extension Service here in Umatilla county, I would not change anything.

Stay safe everyone and remember to practice social distancing and wear your mask!

Adapting to challenging situations

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Ruben Lopez-Carillo is an intern in the OSU Extension office in Umatilla County.

My favorite part about the internship so far has been working at the local Nuts Bolts and Thingamajigs Camp for youth – NBTC for short. This camp was dedicated to preparing and motivating Umatilla County kids to understand the different paths they can take in getting their education. One of the main activities I took lead in this camp was team building games with the students.

When I came into this internship I was looking forward to the community-based aspect of OSU Extension and this camp helped fulfill this value.

The COVID-19 pandemic had made it tough for OSU Extension to meet all aspects of the its mission to serve Oregonians. We have been able to work around some obstacles and accomplish the mission effectively. One example is a project we have been working throughout this pandemic called 4-H STEM Saturday – an in-home activity for youth to keep learning.

The biggest learning opportunity I’ve had throughout this internship has been growth in my ability to adapt to challenging situations. Similar to everyone else in the world, the biggest challenge has been working through the conditions with COVID-19. It has really been testing our adaptability and patience to accomplish our tasks. I’ve gone through many changes in the past that required me to become adaptable and this here feels like the greatest challenge of all. After this experience I feel that I will be well prepared for any future challenges.

Providing hands-on experiences for youth and helping the effort to trace COVID-19

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Joseph O’Brien is an intern in the OSU Extension office in Umatilla County.

In mid- to late July, I had the chance to work with community members from Umatilla and Morrow counties at Nuts, Bolts, and Thingamajigs Workshop Camp (NBT), a two-week day camp with 10 new students each week. During this camp, my role was to put on a team-building activity each weekday for at least 15 to 30 minutes for the middle schoolers attending – sixth through eighth grade – and help throughout the day. The purpose of NBT camp was to educate the youth about the workforce positions available within the Port of Morrow located in Boardman as well as positions available in Hermiston, and also teach them about apprenticeships, how to be entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, and get them to start thinking about their future, all while following state safety regulations. Examples of workforce jobs we talked about included electricians, food manufacturers, diesel mechanics, etc.

Umatilla Electric Cooperative provides electrical circuit activity for youth at the NBT camp.
Umatilla Electric Cooperative provides electrical circuit activity for youth at the NBT camp.

One thing I took away from this camp was not only are these jobs going to be around for a very long time, but also, it is up to Generation Z to make sure that these jobs are filled. None of this would have been possible without Kalie Davis, workforce training manager at Port of Morrow and her two interns; Leah Harris at the Port of Morrow, Anna Browne, my internship supervisor and the 4-H/Juntos Latino outreach coordinator and acting Umatilla County Extension Service agent; Ruben Lopez, an Extension intern in Umatilla County; educators from Blue Mountain Community College and Pendleton School District, and workforce presenters from Umatilla Electric Cooperative and Boardman Foods.

Another interesting job I had was being part of the OSU TRACE-COVID-19 project in Hermiston. I thought this would be an important experience to provide my services and share with you. A commonality between the TRACE-COVID-19 Project and Extension Service is providing the community with resources that may not be present. In this case, OSU provided free COVID-19 tests for residents whose addresses were randomly selected. My role as research assistant was to help a team leader by driving to houses, collect materials and tests needed, and organize and distribute forms.

OSU TRACE-COVID-19 Project vehicle
OSU TRACE-COVID-19 Project vehicle.

From my many work tasks and experiences, I can say that OSU Extension in Umatilla County exceeded my expectations. From providing hands-on experience in the wood shop to youth to providing educational/medical resources to nearby communities, I am truly blown away. I’ve learned that the Extension Service is not only here to help with the Umatilla County Fair, but it provides so much more than I ever thought.

In the beginning of this internship, I feared that my main tasks would revolve around helping with the 4-H program and I would have very little room to explore my interests of community health and education within the surrounding communities. I couldn’t have been more wrong, and I am glad that these experiences have proved otherwise. With that said, I am disheartened that my internship experience may not be all that I wished it could have been due to COVID-19. When I say that, I am referring to the return of Umatilla County to baseline status, meaning we were restricted to traveling outside our homes only for necessary travel. This prevented Ruben and I from being able to record videos for our STEM Saturday series that we have been working on this entire internship. This is only another roadblock and based on all the opportunities I have encountered; I am determined to make the most of my remaining weeks working remotely.

Stay safe everyone and remember to practice social distancing and wear your mask!

Leading by example

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Ruben Lopez-Carillo is an intern in the OSU Extension office in Umatilla County.

My hometown of Boardman, Oregon, taught me some valuable life lessons and helped shape me to be the person I am today – a fourth-year student at Oregon State University majoring in animal science and bioresource research. Working out in the farm with my dad starting at age 12 helped me build a strong passion for livestock and agriculture.

Ruben Lopez-Carrillo

My experience with working out in the farm led me to gain an interest in animals and eventually this turned into a career path that I wanted to pursue as a veterinarian. I spent most of my childhood in Boardman but I later moved to Hermiston, Oregon, to finish high school. Moving to another high school gave me an opportunity to attend Oregon State University with all the support I had from teachers and advisors.

Coming to OSU as a first-generation student was a great accomplishment for me and now I get to set an example for my younger siblings. At OSU I’ve been heavily involved in MANRRS: Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences. Recently, I was elected to serve as the undergraduate student vice president and national officer for MANRRS the 2020-2021 year. In my free time I like to go on walks with my dogs and I also enjoy playing my guitar.

In my internship I will be working on projects that will provide an educational, hands-on experience for youth. I will also be helping prepare other 4-H events in Umatilla County. One of the 4-H projects I will be working on is aiming towards helping students explore educational activites to do at home so that they continue to stay motivated during these tough times. Additionally I will be assisting in the county fair setup for 4-H animal showings and assist when the event occurs.

Ruben Lopez-Carrillo

My impression of OSU Extension before starting this internship was that I would be helping out with community events and possibly doing some presentations at some point. Some of the community events I was expecting to work with were educational programming in the county with youth. Familiarizing myself with the tasks Extension does for the community is another aspect I expected to learn about.

 

 

Exploring Extension in Umatilla County

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Hello, I’m Joseph O’Brien and I’m originally from Ripon, California. I moved to Boardman, Oregon, in 2016. I’m attending Eastern Oregon University, majoring in health and human performance with a concentration in exercise science. This fall, I will also be attending the Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing. After I graduate with these undergraduate degrees, I plan to become a travel nurse and go to different Native American tribal clinics within Oregon. After that, I would like to relocate to a small community within Oregon and work in a hospital or local community clinic.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family (one brother, three sisters, two nieces, and one nephew), getting together with close friends, eating good food, playing volleyball, hiking, and engaging in other outside activities. Additionally, I’ve enjoyed raising livestock through the 4-H youth organization and FFA. In the future, I would like to become a 4-H project leader and volunteer with the youth in the community I reside in.

 

During my time in the Umatilla County Extension office, I’ll be working closely with my fellow intern, Ruben Lopez, and our supervisor, Anna Browne. Throughout this internship, Ruben and I will be creating videos for “STEM Saturday.” These will consist of water-based video experiments presented by us for youth in the community to complete at home. Also, we will be working hand and hand with the Umatilla County Fair to provide a safe and fun experience for those attending.

Some responsibilities while helping at the fair would include screening individuals for COVID-19, making sure everyone complies with mask rules, helping youth find where and when they will be showing their livestock animal, helping youth find where they will be presenting a project, helping adult volunteers set-up areas for livestock, project presentations, etc. Lastly, we will be learning about OSU Extension Service and all the resources/knowledge that it provides within Umatilla County. This new knowledge will surround how the OSU Extension implements its programs within the county, how it addresses the specific community needs, and the history/foundation of this service.

When I first heard about this internship opportunity with the OSU Extension Service, I imagined that I would be mainly helping at the Umatilla and Morrow County Fair with the youth organization 4-H. Further, I thought I would be mainly working in the office on the computer working with community members, agriculturists, and farmers in the area. After orientation and the first week of working, I realized that the OSU Extension Service here in Umatilla County provides many resources and opportunities for everyone. For instance, the different programs like 4-H, home garden and landscape research information, forestry/natural resource materials and on-line workshops, and much more that I have yet to explore.

Growing up with animals, plants and healthy dose of chaos

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Hello World! My name is Maggie Justice and I’m the student intern for the Extension office in Grant County, which is in John Day. I’m also a junior at Walla Walla University where I am studying biology with hopes becoming a large and small animal veterinarian.

I was born and raised in John Day by two Grant County natives. My mom is an ex-logger who now owns a plant nursery.  And my dad works for a Coca-Cola distribution company and on the weekends works our family’s cattle herd. I also have two younger sisters. Ellie, who just graduated high school, will attend Eastern Oregon University in the fall. My youngest sister, Abbie, will be a freshman at Grant Union Jr. /Sr. High School and is an excellent baker. Growing up on a weird nursery/farm allowed my sisters and myself a life surrounded by animals, plants, and a healthy dose of chaos.

Any free time and hobbies I have acquired over the years typically revolve around animals. Since I was 9 years old, I’ve raised cattle, and recently I fulfilled a life-long dream when I purchased my first registered British white heifer named Odessa. I also have a red border collie named Clifford, who loves to pretend that he is a cow dog, but in reality would rather spend his time eating snow or being dragged around on one strange hike or another. But whenever I’m not around my animals, I am hanging out with friends, hiking, and talking about my animals.

 

The major work that I will be doing at the Grant County Extension office is to assist the staff with 4-H and Snap-Ed events. Normally this would include several 4-H sponsored camps that occur every year in our county, but due to COVID, our major focus is preparation for our upcoming youth static and livestock exhibit events. During the pandemic, planning for these events looks completely different, but I am confident that no matter what the outcome, we will have events that are unforgettable.

I must admit, before I started this internship, I had already had a pretty good idea of what my job would be, because I worked for the Extension office the summer of 2018. I really enjoyed the work because I got to help kids with their 4-H projects and help contribute to the fair I have always loved.

My true “first” experience with extension is from my 4-H and FFA days, where I thought it was one of the most important jobs ever. My life changed completely when I joined 4-H and truly made me into the person that I am today. They are the ones who help shape kids into strong competent individuals. Extension helps them find their passions and teaches them life-long skills. I cannot believe that I am privileged enough to work for a place that serves such an important task for both the community and its youth.