Official Nebraska Government WebsiteA Slice of Intern Life: February Update
Time is flying and I can’t believe that February is already over. In February, I had the chance to work on many different projects and reflect on what I learned throughout January. Many of the projects I worked on helped me grow stronger in my communications and outreach skills.
The most important task I completed this month was recapping my experience at the USW/NAWG meeting. I did this by writing a detailed report about my experience and takeaways as well as a presentation that I presented at the NWB February Meeting in Kearney, NE. The report was very time consuming and challenged my writing skills as I struggled to put words on paper at times. However, it was an effective way of strengthening my writing skills and it was important to show the NWB members what I had learned from the meeting. I enjoyed creating the presentation because my creative side came out designing the slides as well as browsing through the pictures I took to select which ones to put on the slides. The presentation summarized my report and I enjoyed the opportunity to recap my experiences.
At the end of the month, I was able to attend two excellent events to help me connect with more people around the state. The first event I attended was the NWB February meeting in Kearney where I presented about my D.C. experience, heard meaningful discussions, and learned the structure and format of a NWB meeting. My presentation with the NWB showed the board what I learned on the D.C. trip and my appreciation for them covering the costs for me to attend. I enjoyed talking about my experience and showing them how important it is to advocate for the ag industry. At the meeting, I also heard from numerous researchers about projects that they are working on funded by the NWB. Those were interesting to hear about and I realized how important it is to have researchers working on projects related to wheat. I also heard numerous committee updates from the board members, financial and office reports, and calendar approval. Overall, this meeting helped me learn more about what the NWB does at the meetings and how they make decisions on certain items of business.
Later that week, I also attended the Women in Ag Conference in Kearney and was able to attend educational sessions and network with other women in agriculture. During this experience, I met so many women who are involved in agriculture in so many different aspects. I attended many sessions where I learned about various topics such as farm family communication, having a growth mindset, promoting your small business, and learning about how money matters. The speakers at the conference were great to listen to and taught me more about than just being in traditional agriculture and the different roles women can play in it. I hope to take the knowledge I learned here and take it back with so I can be a strong woman in agriculture and advocate for it the best way possible.
Some time was also spent in the office working on social media graphics, writing press releases, scheduling the weekly radio reports, constructing the monthly newsletter, and working on my monthly intern blog. Through these tasks, I feel like I have significantly grown at creating content for social media and the monthly newsletter. I am also in charge of putting together a giveaway game for the Nebraska State FFA Convention that is coming up at the end of March.
Overall, February was a month of growth, learning, and stepping outside of my comfort zone. From strengthening my writing skills to improving my public speaking and networking abilities, I feel more confident in my role and the responsibilities I’ve been given. I am grateful for the opportunities to represent the organization and continue learning from industry leaders. I’m looking forward to what March brings and continuing to build on the skills I’ve developed so far.
Looking ahead to March, I have set a few goals for myself as I continue my internship. I hope to continue strengthening my communication skills through writing, social media content, and connecting with numerous individuals, continue building my confidence when networking with industry professionals, and help prepare materials and activities for the Nebraska State FFA Convention. I’m excited to keep learning and taking on new opportunities throughout my internship.