Family and Community Health « OSU Extension Internship Program

A woman in sunglasses sits on a stool and smiles at the camera. — Announcing and clerking the horse show at the Union County Fair.
Photo credit: Katie Hauser

Hi, my name is Heidi Moran, and I am an Oregon State University intern in Union County. I am attending Eastern Oregon University and majoring in elementary education. This summer has gone by extremely fast working for the Extension office and helping with many 4-H events.

This summer I helped with our Iron Chef cooking class through our SNAP-Ed and 4-H programs. Every Thursday morning, I would help Jamie Cox with the classes and making sure that the kids were being responsible in the kitchen. I really enjoyed working with the kids and building a connection with them.

Five women stand and smile at the camera. — Carole Smith, Heidi Moran, McKenzie Sheldon, Jordyn Stonbrink and Reese Roys at Tri County 4-H Camp.
Photo credit: Katie Hauser

I also helped at the Union County Fair the first week of August. Before fair started, I announced and clerked the horse show for both Union and Baker counties and prepared packets and other things needed for fair. At the beginning of fair week, I helped clerk the art and photography section of our home economics building. During the fair I helped clerk most of the livestock shows, helped prepare awards for the awards ceremony and helped with what was needed throughout the week. I had participated in the Union County Fair for over nine years as a 4-H member and helped with many of the events at fair. I never realized how much work went into preparing and working at the fair.

A boy stands at a table and chops vegetables. — Helping with the Iron Chef cooking class.
Photo credit: Jamie Cox

One of the highlights of my summer was helping with our Tri-County 4-H camp. I helped prepare for the camp, teach an ice cream class, and help the new counselors learn some of the camp traditions. 4-H camp was something I always participated in as a 4-H member and something I always looked forward to every summer.

From this internship I have learned many new things from helping at all of these events and I will continue to use those skills in the future. It also helped me grow my passion for 4-H and want to stay involved with it in the future. This is something that I will continue doing throughout the rest of my college career!

Seven kids in artist smocks work at a long table covered in paper. — Kids get messy with activities at 4-H STEAM summer camp.
Photo credit: Sofie Carlson

Hi again, it’s Sofie Carlson, welcome back to my blog! I am in the final week of my incredible experience as the natural resources intern at Lincoln County Extension. Let me give you an update on the projects I’ve been working on this summer:

I continued composing the monthly newsletters that my supervisor, Evie Smith, sends out: Small Farms TLC Newsletter, which provides relevant information for small farms and ranches in Tillamook, Lincoln and Clatsop counties; and LC Master Gardener’s Newsletter, which contains information and expertise to help our Master Gardeners (and any other readers) meet local challenges. In total, I helped put out six newsletters!
I finished redesigning an updated brochure for Lincoln County Local Foods that will deliver information on all of the producers in Lincoln County conducting farm direct sales at the four local farmers markets in our county: what they sell, how to contact them and when the markets are I am really proud of the final version and can’t wait to see the printed copies make their way into the community. I joined in on one more Cooking Matters Tour at the Newport Farmers Market, with our FCH/SNAP-Ed Program Coordinator, Beatriz Botello, and Nutrition Education Program Assistant Jennifer Pettit. I hope that the brochure I created can draw more attention to Lincoln County’s farmers markets and the valuable tour that Beatriz and Jennifer give.
I collected more blueberries and blackberries at Gibson Farms! I ended up completing seven collections at six different sites within the blueberry farm, contributing data for a larger ongoing research project that monitors a pest called spotted wing
I did my last round of maintenance on a project called Juntos en el Jardin, which is a community garden located at the Newport This has been rewarding work and I am glad to have been involved in making the garden a more accessible space. I also joined Sea Grant marine fisheries educator Angee Doerr for four Fridays, with her Shop at the Dock program. I greeted and organized the tour groups for the guides to then teach families about Newport’s commercial fisheries through a tour of the port.
Lastly, I attended the Kids’ Garden Fair at the Lincoln City Demonstration Garden and assisted 4-H Youth Development Program Leader Shelley Spangler with one of her summer camps. These two experiences helped solidify my love for working with
youth and being outside learning about the natural world.

Picture of a dock in Oregon, with a sign over a walkway that says Port of Newport, Dock 5. — Shop at the Dock gives tours of the fishing boats, gear, and fisheries associated with Port Dock 5.
Photo credit: Sofie Carlson

As my time in Oregon comes to a close, at least for the time being, and I reflect on my summer, I want to give a huge thanks to my supervisor, Evie Smith, for her support and guidance. I have absolutely loved working with her and I could not have asked for a better role model to mentor me in this position. I would also like to thank all of the people I worked with at the Lincoln County Extension office; it was an amazing work environment, and I will miss working there! Lastly, I want to thank my aunt, Emily Blume, for telling me about this opportunity and letting me live with her and her family for the past two months in this beautiful state.

I will soon be heading back home to Vermont, where I will be starting a new job as a Naturalist Educator at North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier. I am excited to begin the next chapter of my life, teaching environmental education to youth in my home state.

A young woman smiles as she holds a food blender attached to the handlebars of a bicycle pedaled by a child. — Helping power the blender bike at the Hermiston Public library.
Photo credit: Carolina Muniz

Hi, my name is Karsynn Olivas. Now that my summer internship is ending, I am confident going into the new school year that nutrition is a career path I want to pursue. I have learned so much working with the Oregon State University Extension program and Snap Ed that I can apply to my future. My most valuable takeaway from my summer working for this program is how to bring awareness to nutrition throughout a community. Before working here, I was always hesitant to talk about nutrition with others. Now I recognize the importance of spreading awareness about healthy habits and easy recipes. Seeing not only kids but adults getting excited to learn about nutrition brought me so much fulfillment

Not only did I learn to teach about nutrition, but I also learned so much from my partner Carolina Muniz and my supervisor Maria Ximena Williams. They both have been such amazing resources to help guide me throughout this internship. I am so grateful to have met them and been able to work with them. The connections with others I have made throughout this summer internship are ones I hope to keep.

The project I worked on this summer was dedicated to food tastings at the Hermiston summer meal sites. I attended different parks and schools to allow kids and their families to taste a new recipe I made from the Food Hero website. This was a huge success. The kids were all excited to try something new, and at the same time, it helped to promote Food Hero throughout the community.

Overall, I am extremely appreciative to have worked for The OSU Extension program and Snap Ed. This summer is one I will never forget.

I’m now in my last full week of my OSU Extension internship. This summer has flown by with so many fun events and learning experiences. I can’t believe my internship is almost finished. Throughout this summer, I have had the opportunity to help with and plan many projects. I got to assist with a Farm to School Camp. I got to help teach kids about healthy eating, gardening and making some Food Hero recipes. I started this project right at the beginning of my internship and it taught me a lot about Food Hero and the vast range of topics SNAP-Ed covers.

Four women in orange shirts that say Food Hero stand in front of tall sunflowers. — Pendleton and Hermiston’s SNAP-Ed team (from left to
right) Maria-Ximena Williams, Madeline Breiling, Karsynn Olivas and Carolina Muniz.
Photo credit: Karen Wagner

I have also had the opportunity to help with teaching the Growing Healthy Kids curriculum in the Hermiston Library. This project was run by the Hermiston SNAP-Ed team, but I was very excited to be able to assist in the class. This class was unique compared to the other events I participated in because it was usually the same families every week. This meant we could start to develop a relationship with these families and see them grow and get more comfortable with the class.

I’ve also had the opportunity to hand out free food samples and educate the public about Food Hero at both the Pendleton Farmers Market and the Milton-Freewater farmers market. I’ve always loved attending the Pendleton farmers market, so getting to hand out free food samples was a very fun experience. I got to choose the recipes, make the food, make handouts of the recipe and hand out the food samples to the public.

The project that I’m the proudest of is handing out free food samples at the summer meal site in Pendleton. For this project I picked all the recipes, made all of the handouts and handed out the food samples by myself. I decided to do an around-the-world theme for the food samples for the month of July. I wanted to show that you can edit and combine Food Hero recipes to make dishes from all over the world, and I wanted to introduce people to flavors and new recipes. I also wanted to show people that you can make interesting meals while on a budget. I love cooking and creating recipes, so I really loved this project.

Overall, I feel so proud of all my work with OSU Extension this summer. I was able to help and take the lead on such a variety of projects. I want to give a huge thank you to Shevon Hatcher for knowing the answer to every single question I could ever think of; Maria-Ximena Williams for letting me take the lead on projects while also always being there to support me; and Carolina Muniz for including me in some of Hermiston’s projects.

-Madeline Breiling

Hi, my name is Sofie Carlson, and welcome to my first blog post! I grew up in Vermont and went to school at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. I graduated this past May with a degree in environmental studies and economics and now I am spending the summer as the natural resources intern for the Lincoln County Extension office. This is just the second time I have ever been out West and I am really enjoying my time here.

A woman stands in a grassy area, holding a bag and a box. — At Gibson Farms in Siletz, collecting blueberries and blackberries to be sent to the lab in Corvallis for testing.
Photo credit: Sofie Carlson

It is now Week 5 of my internship, so I am about halfway through – time is flying. As the natural resources intern, I have mainly been working with my supervisor, Evie Smith, the Small Farms and Master Gardener coordinator in Lincoln County. However, I am working in several other branches of Extension, including Sea Grant, SNAP-Ed, Agriculture and 4-H.

Here are some of the projects I am in the midst of:

– I am assisting in the composition of the monthly newsletters that Evie sends out: Small Farms TLC Newsletter, which provides relevant information for small farms and ranches in Tillamook, Lincoln and Clatsop counties, and LC Master Gardener’s Newsletter, which contains information and expertise to help our Master Gardeners (and any other readers) meet local challenges. I have never put together a newsletter before, so it has definitely been a learning process, but luckily, I have a great mentor to show me the ropes.

– I am in the process of redesigning and distributing an updated brochure for Lincoln County Local Foods that will deliver information on all of the producers in Lincoln County that are doing farm direct sales. Farm direct sales are when the farmers sell directly to you, without a middleman, by methods such as farm stands, CSAs, and dock sales. The brochure lists which farms sell at the four local farmers markets in our county, what they sell, how to contact them and when the markets are held. Last weekend I joined our FCH/SNAP-Ed Program Coordinator, Beatriz Botello, in her Cooking Matters Tour at the Newport Farmers Market, which inform people how they can use their SNAP benefits at the farmers market. It was an educational opportunity for families to learn how to budget, compare prices and shop locally.

A woman in overalls rakes through a compost pile. — Juntos en el Jardín: Moving compost at the community garden.
Photo credit: Michael Christy

– I am collecting blueberries and blackberries at Gibson Farms as part of a larger ongoing research project that monitors a pest called spotted wing drosophila. This is a weekly task that I look forward to because I get to be outside, chat with Farmer Alan, and eat a ton of freshly picked blueberries.

– I am also assisting in the maintenance of a project called Juntos en el Jardin, which is a community garden located at the Newport Fairgrounds and this week I will be joining Angee Doerr, Sea Grant marine fisheries educator, to run her annual Shop at the Dock program, teaching families about Newport’s commercial fisheries through a tour of the port. This program is a unique opportunity to meet the fishermen and boats that we buy our seafood from. It will be running for five weeks on Fridays.

So far, this position has been valuable, rewarding and fun. It has been a great way for me to explore several future career paths while gaining new knowledge and experience. I have enjoyed working for Extension and feel very lucky to be living with family in Oregon. I am looking forward to continuing working on the projects I’ve started, making new connections, and taking advantage of my time here until I head back East. I am very thankful for this opportunity. Catch you on the next blog post!

A woman teaches a young girl at a table outside under an Oregon State University canopy. — Yolanda Diaz teaching new generations in Malheur County.
Photo credit: Sierra Dobson

Hello everyone! I am Yolanda Diaz, a Family and Community Health intern for Oregon State University Extension Service in Malheur County. This is my second year as an OSU intern, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have this wonderful opportunity. Currently, I attend George Fox University where I am majoring in social work. As a social work student, I am always eager to discover ways to empower families and communities. This internship has provided me with a glimpse into the resources, events and opportunities that Eastern Oregon has to offer as well as the areas that require additional support. I am grateful that my education has taught me the importance of meeting people where they are and using appropriate methods to assist them. This internship has significantly enhanced my ability to respond to various situations.

As an intern this year, I’ve been helping to address the issue of food insecurity in Malheur County. Last year, I attended a meeting of the Western Treasure Valley (WTV) Food Systems partnership. We discussed how food systems operate, the underlying causes of obstacles within these systems and the WTV team’s proposed solutions. During this discussion, there were suggestions for building a connection between community members and food systems partners. Although I missed some important updates and conversations while I was away at school in 2022-2023, it was amazing to come back this year and see the progress my colleagues have made.

This month, I was involved in the planning process for a food systems partnership “community center.” With the help of local professionals and the Oregon Food Bank, we were able to come up with a vision for a future location. It’s been rewarding to have been a part of this project from the beginning to where it is now and where it’s heading. I feel a strong connection with my community now more than ever. Being involved in the different stages of addressing food insecurity in Malheur County is an experience I never expected. I’ve now witnessed the hard work and dedication that goes into creating a healthy and meaningful environment for families in our community.

I have consistently developed and shared information on Foodhero.org at farmers’ markets, educating community members of all ages. I’ve also assisted with delivering cooking camps in rural towns in Malheur County. It is valuable to connect with people in the same county because one conversation can have a significant impact. Promoting healthy living through research-based recipes and physical activities is essential for my community.

Being able to create meaningful work to bring recreation and life to our community is rewarding. The work I’m doing has provided me with a chance to develop my passion for Extension.

A group of 14 young people on bleachers. — Camp counselor training.
Photo credit – Deb Warnock

Hello, my name is Jacob Falk. This summer I will be a summer intern in the OSU Extension office in Wallowa County. I am a student at the University of Idaho pursuing a degree in agricultural education with a minor in veterinary sciences.

I grew up in Wallowa County and was heavily involved with our local 4-H program. I worked closely with Debi Warnock on 4-H projects and building leadership skills. When she suggested this internship to me, I was interested to see how Extension education would differ from traditional classroom instruction. Being able to have a well-rounded concept of everything involving my career path will encourages me to make a sound, well-rounded, long-term career decision that will be productive and enjoyable.

I have been working at the Extension office for a little over a month. So far, I have had the opportunity to interact with almost every Extension program Wallowa County has to offer. I have been able to monitor the population of armyworm in the county with our forestry and natural resources agent, planned youth events and participated in multiple 4-H leadership activities with our 4-H Youth Development agent and began helping with our local SNAP-Ed program with the Family Community Health program. Overall, my experience so far has been greatly diversified and my work has been fulfilling and encouraging!

I am eager to keep working and I’m finding I’m most interested in the 4-H Youth Development Program. I am excited to keep helping to plan 4-H events and interact with a high quality youth who are driven to learn.

Hi, I’m Molly Taylor, and I’m finishing up my last two weeks as an Extension intern in Hood River and Wasco counties, working in the Family and Community Health Program. Over the course of my internship, I’ve had many opportunities that have helped me develop skills for my future career, no matter what path I decide to take. 

A woman in a black Food Hero apron stands at a table filled with trail mix ingredients. — Molly Taylor providing DIY trail mix at a day camp in Hood River.

Some of my favorite experiences have been assisting and carrying out a 4-H cooking camp – where I got to do food demonstrations and teach kitchen skills and safety – providing snacks for local day camps and putting together recipe books for the SNAP-Ed program using Food Hero recipes. Throughout all of these experiences I’ve been able to build communication and teaching skills, planning strategies, and problem-solving methods that will benefit me in my future endeavors.

Over the summer, I’ve enjoyed working with different programs like Family and Community Health, 4-H and Open Campus/Juntos. I’ve been able to see all that Extension does in the community and how it truly makes a difference by getting people involved and excited about learning how to better themselves and the area they live in. Throughout all of these programs, I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot with kids and it’s been especially fun to see their excitement to learn and to then take their new knowledge home to their families. This showed that not only do Extension teaching programs support adults who are trying to make a difference, but also has that impact on younger generations which makes a lasting difference. 

With my internship coming to a close, for the last two weeks I will be finishing up the recipe books that will be handed out at local schools in the fall by the SNAP-Ed program in Wasco County and potentially doing something at the Wasco County Fair. I look forward to taking all the things I’ve learned from Extension and applying them to the rest of my schooling and future jobs and leave having an extra appreciation for the work and impact that Extension has on communities like mine. 

Hi there, I’m Molly Taylor. I grew up in The Dalles, and I’m currently a student at Oregon State University, where I just finished my third year. I’m majoring in nutrition with a dietetics option and a minor in public health. Once I finish my bachelor’s degree I hope to complete a dietetic internship/master’s program and become a registered dietitian. Right now, I picture myself doing clinical work in a hospital and potentially becoming a diabetes educator, so I’m excited to work with OSU Extension and learn about the strategies used to educate the public.

This summer I’m interning with Lauren Kraemer in the Extension Family and Community Health Program at the Extension offices in Wasco and Hood River counties. It’s my first time working as an intern with extension and I’m looking forward to seeing all the different tools and strategies Extension utilizes to reach different populations in the local communities. My impression right now, with only two weeks under my belt, is that Extension goes out into the community and provides more accessible and equitable learning opportunities that some communities may not have had without Extension services.

This summer I will be doing a variety of things such as food demonstrations at local farmers markets, handing out snacks at day camps, demonstrations at food pantries, along with helping out with some 4-H cooking camps and potentially helping to create a cookbook using Food Hero recipes for seasonal migrant workers and their families who make Wasco and Hood River counties their home for the summer.

Last week I got to see Extension in action when I helped out with a 4-H cooking camp. The camp taught kids how to cook a three-course meal using Food Hero recipes which are balanced, easy-to-make and affordable. The camp also allowed the kids to develop food safety skills and measuring techniques which got them excited about what they were eating because they had a part in creating it. There were also some MyPlate activities where we went over the MyPlate illustration with the kids and then had them build their own meals using pictures of different foods. It was fun to see the kids get excited about food and put their MyPlate knowledge to work by brainstorming different meals using some of their favorite foods while trying to incorporate all the food groups in order to have a balanced meal.

I’m excited to continue working and learning from all the opportunities and experiences that come with this internship!

Hello, this is Kanar Shaiban. During my internship for the OSU Extension office in Jackson County, I learned how to be self-sufficient and obtain information and awareness by seeking answers independently. My experience also strengthened my ability to think by encouraging me to look for evidence and generate effective solutions. Furthermore, it taught me how to address the community’s challenges through my projects.

I also learned how to perform a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis as a skill in my report about unmet housing needs in Jackson County. This internship was also helpful because it seemed like an environmental scan that covered every aspect of the community. Most significantly, my internship experience and projects taught me how to connect my public health major to the general well-being of the population and community.

I want others to realize how valuable OSU Extension is to the community and how it seeks to provide information, resources, and expertise to solve local issues and help everyone thrive.

Extension also promotes positive change through initiatives that make everyone feels secure and welcome. For example, when working with Jackson County during my internship, I realized that Extension is dedicated to serving all those in need.

In my job, I assisted undocumented survivors who were primarily impacted by last September’s wildfires but were ineligible for federal housing assistance. While doing so, I realized what my career is all about and how it strives to engage with the community to address unmet needs and challenges, resolve them, and develop innovative solutions. I realized how OSU Extension could be linked to my public health major. It helped me comprehend what my degree is all about, it served me put what I learned into practice, and it allowed me to appreciate what my career entails even more.

In general, the OSU Extension experience taught me the value of serving the vulnerable and those in need, and I realized how vital my profession is to society. This internship is something I would strongly suggest to other OSU students. It’s hard to determine a favorite aspect of my internship experience because I liked every aspect of it. However, the most satisfying element was exploring solutions to assist those in need and identifying methods to address their challenges.

OSU Extension Internship Program

Tag Archives: Family and Community Health

Planning to pursue a career in Extension as the result of this internship

Incredible experience as the natural resources intern

Spreading awareness of healthy habits

Proud of my work with OSU Extension this summer

Exploring all that Extension has to offer

Creating meaningful work to bring recreation and life to our community

Getting a well-rounded view of Extension in Wallowa County

Internship has given me an extra appreciation for Extension’s impact

Teaching youths and adults about nutrition in the Columbia Gorge

Internship focused on exploring solutions to assist those in need in Jackson County

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