My STEP Signature Project was centralized on the internships I completed during the 2021 Spring Semester. I completed two short internships with Extension Professionals. The first internship was partnered with Dr. Kathryn Orvis, a professor, and Extension Specialist at Purdue University and with Dee Nicley, one of the Tippecanoe County, IN 4-H Youth Development Extension Educator. The second short internship was partnered with Kayla Oberstadt, an Ohio State Extension Specialist.

Before I completed these internships, I was not certain what I was capable of completing, and how well I would do my job. I have studied to become an Extension Educator for four years at Ohio State; however, I questioned if I was actually capable of exceling at the common aspects the job presented or if I would be an average intern. Throughout my life I have always compared myself to others and been negative towards myself. However, throughout my experience working with these professionals I was amazed at how well I handled everything I was tasked to and the knowledge and creative mind I was able to use during these tasks. Aside from that, I was in awe of the praise I received from various people around me about my achievements and ability to excel at my work performance. Now, I understand that I am an amazing person, and that I am ready to face the world as an Extension Educator. I no longer assume that I will be average at a task, now I assume that I will be able to transform simple tasks to help and change the minds of others.

During my first internship, I worked alongside Dee Nicley. Dee is an exceptional woman who changed her career from being a teacher to becoming an Extension Educator in her 30s. However, the most exceptional aspect about Dee is her ability to always be positive and energetic. She understands that problems occur, changes happen, but she has learned to look on the bright side of everything. While working with her, her positivity rubbed off on me. I stopped being as negative towards myself and really started to look at the opportunities and applaud myself for the achievements I have been working towards.

Another experience during my first internship that had a deep impact on myself was when I was interviewing Dr. Mark Russell. Dr. Russell is the Head of the Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication in the College of Agriculture. The interview was an informational interview, allowing me to learn more about his career path and his perspective on Extension. Dr. Russell was an amazing person to speak to; he was honest, charismatic, and caring. During our interview we spoke about many things but what stood out the most was his love for helping students learn leadership skills and the way he cared about my future although he had barely known me. Dr. Russell was amazed at everything I had accomplished thus far in my life, he appreciated the work I have done on my family’s farm and he was very adamant about trying to persuade me to obtain my master’s degree in his department. This conversation helped me to realize that no matter what my background and education is, I can truly achieve anything I want in this world; and that no matter where I go there will always be friendly faces who care about my career. Dr. Russell symbolizes what I dream of becoming and allowed my passion for helping others to flourish more than I thought it could.

A third key aspect occurred throughout my second internship with Kayla Oberstadt. During this internship I had the opportunity to teach during a counselor workshop about the different learning styles, sit in on various committee and organization meetings, and create an abundance of survey and evaluation materials. I have always known that evaluations are a difficult task in Extension. Most programs focus on youth, and I know from personal experiences that youth do not enjoy completing surveys. However, I was able to become very creative while creating the evaluation strategies and I found that I had a passion for making evaluations interesting. Trying to create exciting ways to present evaluation surveys and evaluation data allowed me to flourish. I thoroughly enjoy statistics and this form of research is perfect to gain results from activities with the right about of statistics involved. Kayla was very inviting towards my ideas and was very impressed with my abilities. Without this internship I would not have been able to have the freedom and space to make the evaluations and evaluation data sheets like I had and discover my love and passion for evaluations.

These changes and transformations are very valuable in my life. When I become an Extension Educator, I need to be able to explain and agree with decisions I make. Part of that is feeling positive about my decisions and abilities. This internship has allowed me to better understand what I am capable of and allow me to challenge myself to achieve things I did not believe I could. This internship has also opened my eyes to the possibilities and opportunities I can achieve in Extension. Instead of questioning if I belong in Extension, I am excited to jump into my career and allow my education and experiences to push my past what others believe I can accomplish. Aside from being able to explain and agree with decisions I make; I have also been able to let up on my evaluations of my work. I am working on being nicer to myself, which I believe will help me go farther in my life academically, personally and in my future career. Lastly, my development in abilities regarding Extension tasks have allowed me to better understand my interests regarding Extension and will allow me to enhance the areas that I still struggle with while allowing me to also delve into the areas of Extension I have found an excitement for.

These developments matter because they are helping me to transform into the best Extension Educator I can become. They have helped jumpstart the excitment, development and connections I will use in the future.

I’d also like to thank STEP for providing me with the financial backing for this endeavor. This experience was life-changing and I am forever grateful.

Here is a few screenshots from workshops and projects I completed.