Tag Archives: Kanar Shaiban

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

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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. 

Extension strives to focus on inclusivity and innovation

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Hello, this is Kanar Shaiban. During my internship for the OSU Extension office in Jackson County, I’ve prepared a report, gathered data and statistics, and explored the unmet housing needs in the Jackson County area. In addition, I engaged with various community partners to get the essential data and learn more about the community’s most vulnerable people. While creating my report, I learned how to use a “SWOT” analysis method – strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities – to emphasize the importance of assisting the community in developing a strategy that addresses the unmet housing needs by analyzing the county’s strengths and weaknesses and existing and implemented resources. 

The Almeda fire burns homes in Talent, Oregon, on Sept. 8, 2020.
The Almeda fire burns homes in Talent, Oregon, on Sept. 8, 2020. Photo by Gordon Jones.

The report assisted in the development of strategic housing assistance recommendations for undocumented survivors of the September 2020 wildfires in the area. After submitting the report, I started working on an executive summary, followed by a PowerPoint presentation that I will present to the community partners by the end of my internship. 

Before this internship, I was unfamiliar with OSU Extension Services. Soon after I began, I realized that Extension focuses on and strives to foster inclusivity and innovation. I also understood how critical it is to the community to recognize unmet needs, respond to issues, and implement appropriate methods and solutions.  

I’m appreciative that I had the opportunity to work with OSU Extension as it taught me how to be self-sufficient in my profession, collect data, and be creative by exploring practical solutions for those in need. 

Dedicated to disaster relief and community needs in Jackson County

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Hello everyone!

My name is Kanar Shaiban. My home country is Yemen, and my family and I moved to the United States a few years ago. While they settled in Virginia, I live in Oregon. My favorite hobbies are hiking and fishing.

I am currently a senior at OSU majoring in public health with a focus on health promotion. In addition, I intend to pursue a minor in global health. I am proud to be an OSU Extension intern this summer, where I will be working under Caryn Wheeler’s supervision at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Jackson County. Caryn is an assistant professor of practice in the Family and Community Health Program in OSU’s College of Public health and Human Sciences.

My internship will be dedicated to disaster relief and community needs, and I’ll be working with those who were displaced by the Almeda fire last September. I’ll be collecting data on the unmet needs of the survivors. I’ll also create a development plan for those individuals by implementing some proposals and opportunities into practice.

Before the internship began, I had many doubts that I would be able to succeed, mainly because everything seemed hazy at first. However, I gained confidence within a week as I better grasped the Extension’s aim and objectives. Caryn, in particular, was beneficial and supportive. She provided me with direct support and coaching to assist me in achieving my goal. In the first two weeks, she organized a series of community meetings to help me gain a better understanding of the work, the community, and the organization’s partners. She helped me observe and think creatively. Without her, things would not have been the same. To me, she is a vital component of the internship’s outstanding success.