Snap-Ed « OSU Extension Internship Program

Hi there! My name is Chris Vasquez and I am an intern for the Oregon State Extension Service in my home county, Deschutes County, this summer. This fall, I will enter my third year as an undergraduate at Oregon State University as a bio-health sciences major with a pre-pharmacy focus and a minor in public health. I am the current Pre-Pharmacy Society Club president and intend to apply to OSU’s Pharm.D. program after receiving my baccalaureate. I did not have any experience with OSU Extension Service before this internship, so I have been extremely excited and fortunate to work with both the SNAP-Ed and Horticulture programs in my home community. I decided to do an internship with OSU Extension because I am fascinated with understanding the implications of directly helping communities and hope to learn how to use this experience to more properly understand my patients in the future.

Chris Vasquez teaches BEPA 2.0 Activities to 3rd graders in the Migrant Ed. Program Photo: Sharlene Chiong — Chris Vasquez teaches BEPA 2.0 Activities to 3rd graders in the Migrant Education Program
Photo: Sharlene Chiong

Thus far, I have worked with a plethora of programs and projects offered through the Extension Service. I have been most excited and interested in our involvement with the Migrant Education Summer Program for children of all ages in Redmond.

In partnership with our Food Hero program, we have been able to educate the youth on means of implementing healthy recipes into their diets in a fun and engaging way. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, we brainstorm activities for kids to learn about the food groups they are eating and offer tips on ways they can prepare these items at home. We also offer cooking activities during the classes and provide the family with take-home recipes. To help engage the children in the lessons, we also incorporate the Be Physically Active 2Day (BEPA 2.0) program to encourage them to be active. This allows the students to integrate fun activities into their daily schedules, whether it be at recess or at home, to reach physical education goals. For instance, they can engage in racing to put bean bags into corners of the room or acting out the letters of words with physical activity, as seen with the word “turtle” in the photo.

Growing up in the Redmond School District, I was aware of the Migrant Education Summer Program but was unaware of its implications and linguistics. Having the opportunity to be more involved with the youth of the community has opened my eyes to possible professional endeavors (such as pediatrics). Considering my subsequent involvement with teaching the Walk With Ease program at the Redmond Senior Center and with retired Master Gardeners through the horticulture program, it is incredible to observe the opposite end of the community spectrum. I am more encouraged than ever to work on one of my projects dedicated to Food Hero informational videos that are accessible to all ages and promote the overall health of our communities.

Hello everyone!

My name is Madeline Breiling and I am interning with Oregon State University Extension Service in Umatilla County with SNAP-Ed. I just finished my second year at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, majoring in mathematics. I grew up in Umatilla County and I also served as an OSU Extension intern last summer, so I am excited to be back and helping in the community again this summer.

Madeline Breiling poses with chips and dip at Food Hero event — Madeline Breiling with chips and dip at Food Hero event. Photo:Mike Jones

I am in the seventh week of my internship and I am excited to share some of what I have accomplished so far. Since I was also an intern last summer, I had some familiarity with SNAP-Ed and the Food Hero program. Last summer I really enjoyed getting to hand out free food samples and educate the public on healthy eating and the Food Hero program at the Pendleton Farmers Market and at the Milton Freewater Farmers Market. This summer I am excited because I have had the opportunity to hand out free food samples of our Food Hero recipes and educate the public on the Food Hero program at the Pendleton and Milton Freewater Farmers Markets once again, but I have also been able to expand my scope and be at the Athena and Hermiston Farmers Markets as well.

Early in my internship, I had the opportunity to have a Food Hero table at the Children’s Fair in Boardman. I was able to give many children and families fun ideas for healthier alternatives to the snacks they usually eat. I also had the opportunity to join the Farm to School Program at Athena-Weston School District’s Family Night where we made salsa using ingredients from the school garden. This was a great opportunity for the students and their families to see that food doesn’t just come from the grocery store.

As I quickly approach the final weeks of my internship, I am excited to continue working on the many projects I am already working on as well as begin to do more with St Mary’s Outreach in Pendleton. I am very excited to be back in Umatilla County with Extension and to see what other opportunities the rest of the summer will bring!

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.

A woman stands in front of a brightly painted bulletin board and gives the thumbs up gesture. — Johanna Simonson, 4-H summer intern, in front of her finished bulletin boards.
Photo credit: Kelly Simonson

Wow, this summer has gone by fast! I feel like I shouldn’t even be writing my final blog post, but given there is only two weeks left of my internship, it makes sense.

This summer has been such an eye-opening experience. I experienced multiple facets of Extension. Right after I wrote my last blog post, I taught at a Cloverbud Day Camp at Extension’s Discovery Garden. That was enjoyable for me as well as the kids and quite a coincidence considering I was just telling my family how much I missed the kids at the daycare I worked at during school!

My next adventure was in Snap-Ed. That day I drove with a co-worker to Canyonville to set up a booth with samples of Couscous Salad and recipes to hand out at the farmer’s market. The majority of people trying out the sample loved it! A lot of people came back for more, and almost all the recipes we printed out were gone! It was a huge success. Not only that, but I got to learn more about my co-worker. Even though we were different ages, we still had many things in common, which was a delightful surprise.

Another experience I had was a “Mud and Manure” event. This may not sound like a lot of fun to some people and probably slightly disturbing. However, it was actually very educational, and I loved driving out to the farms to see some soil conservation designs around high-traffic livestock areas. I was impressed that the designs have lasted almost a decade, too. Through this event I got an idea of how I would like my job to look in the future. After the event, it wasn’t really planned to go on a farm call, but I am grateful that we did because it really helped me understand the fuller extent of what being a livestock and forage agent for Extension looks like.

A woman in a pink top stands at a table and makes candles with two kids in white shirts — Johanna Simonson making candles with 4-H.
Photo credit: Kelly Simonson

After this it was time to prepare for the fair. The main events I took charge of were line dancing, candle making, and the bulletin boards in the fairgrounds’ exhibit building. After hours of planning, preparation and creation, everything was finished.

At least 30 people attended the line dancing event. Everybody learned three new dances, which is a lot considering temperatures reached 90 degrees! The candle making event went so well that we ran out of soy wax after making around 25 candles. Even though the paper to decorate the bulletin boards came late, I improvised and painted them instead. Honestly, I am glad I did because they look WAY better than paper décor would. People actually liked the bulletin boards so much they took pictures in front of them. I am very pleased with my events at the fair, even if there were some things that needed to be improved.

Overall, I would say that this internship has been a great experience. I learned more about myself, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and I strengthened my self-discipline muscle. This internship has shown me that I am stronger than I thought I was in multiple areas of my life, and I am fearful to think of where I would be without having participated in this internship. I am extremely thankful to everyone who made it happen. So long, until next time!

May y’all be blessed,
Johanna Simonson

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 in a black t-shirt stands behind a table filled with food samples. — Karsynn Olivas helping at a Food Hero event.
Photo credit: Carolina Muniz

Hello everyone, my name is Karsynn Olivas and I am a summer Intern for the Oregon State University Extension Service SNAP-Ed program in Umatilla County. I currently attend Colorado State University in Fort Collins, but I was born and raised in Oregon. Although attending my first year of college and studying business has been fun, I am excited about going back to my roots this summer and working for SNAP-Ed. I have always had quite an interest in nutrition and even took a couple of nutrition classes last year. Not knowing exactly what I would like to do yet, this job gives me the opportunity to dip my toes into one of my biggest interests.

My goals going into this job were to be more active in the community, learn more about nutrition and how to spread the importance of it and last but not least get to spend time with children of all ages. So far, this has been a huge success. I have been able to teach classes at the library alongside SNAP-Ed Education Program Assistant Carolina Muniz, teaching kids and their families healthy Food Hero recipes. I have also worked at the Hermiston farmers market each week sharing a recipe with community members.

Overall, I have learned a lot about nutrition and working with kids since being a part of the SNAP-Ed program. I hope to only continue to learn more about it and grow not only as an individual but in the community.

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.

OSU Extension Internship Program

Tag Archives: Snap-Ed

Oregon State Extension intern strives to promote community health

Educating the public about Food Hero

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

Internship showed I was stronger than I thought

Proud of my work with OSU Extension this summer

Exploring all that Extension has to offer

Getting back to Oregon roots with SNAP-Ed

Getting a well-rounded view of Extension in Wallowa County

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