Toward the end of my sophomore year I started getting anxiety over getting my life together because in two short years I would be graduating! Now you can’t plan your life over night or at least I’m not the type too (I’m more of a go-with-the-flow type of gal), but I knew I needed to at least get my summer together with an internship directed towards my major. So, what did I do? I went to looking through my emails! Some of you are probably confused with why I would go to checking my emails when I was trying to find a summer internship. Well for those of you reading this that don’t attend the College of Agriculture at the University of Wyoming, one of the perks of the college is that internship opportunities are sent right to your email by our internship coordinator, Sarah Kauer! Those emails are exactly the reason why I got the internship I did!
Not only does UW provide information on internship opportunities, but they also provide paid internships that you can also earn college credit for! This summer I was fortunate enough to get a paid internship through the university with the University of Wyoming 4-H and Extension in Crook County, Wyoming! I was based out of Sundance, Wyoming, where I was able to live in Spearfish, South Dakota, with friends and commute to Sundance Monday through Friday since it was only a half hour away! Working in Sundance gave me that small town/county feel that I grew up in where it was a tight knit community and everyone knew everyone. I grew to love the area and the people that came with it! As for the job, I had many duties from planning big events to helping at events taking place throughout Wyoming to marketing upcoming events to teaching craft workshops for kids to so much more! It was truly a summer well spent!
Although after this experience I’m not yet positive if I want to pursue this line of work, I will forever be grateful for my opportunity because it opened up future job possibilities after college. Even if I don’t pursue a job with 4-H and extension, this internship was a learning experience! I was taught so many things with my time in the Crook County office that could transfer over to other jobs I can foresee myself being involved with. Like Albert Einstein said “the only source of knowledge is experience.” I also want to point out that with this experience I met the best people, especially my boss and coworkers, that I hope to keep in touch with throughout my life! There is good in every experience and there is always something to learn!
Bree Thompson