“Don’t Yell at Me; I’m Just the Intern”

I spent my summer as one of the Youth Development Intern at Tippecanoe County, Indiana. This was the county I grew up in and participated in 4-H for ten years. Being on the other side of the curtain was eye-opening into my future. This summer was filled with amazing opportunities through Extension Education. I planned training for volunteers, lead young leaders to raise money for their scholarships, learned and manipulated an online program, and implemented changes to how the county fair was run.

            The title of this blog would make people think that I had an awful summer. It was just the opposite; I had a great summer. My first day on the job we had an Exhibit Association Meeting which is a panel of volunteers who run the fair. Many of the volunteers were the role models I grew up with and still look up to. The meeting was over, and I was pulled aside by one of the volunteers who questioned me about all the new things that were happening this summer within the 4-H program. I was explaining to her, and she proceeded to tell me that many people would be angry with these changes. She added that we would probably have some outspoken anger and I laughed and told her, “don’t yell at me, I’m just the intern.”  In any situation, you must be prepared to deal with people who disagree with you. I prepared myself all summer to respond to outspoken anger. My fellow interns and I put many hours into training sessions and help sessions for volunteers. We worked one on one with these volunteers to ensure that they knew what to expect come fair. We were scared that they would not follow our changes and turn back to their old ways.  Instead, I was surprised by the community and volunteers. They worked with us and were supportive of our changes. They stuck with us through the whole week of fair. We had some bumps in the road but kept on trucking to have a successful county fair. Working to implement these changes and with the volunteers, one on one was the most rewarding project I had this summer.

            This whole summer taught me a valuable lesson of not underestimating people. I had geared up for getting yelled at and hated for changing the traditions of this fair. I was wrong in so many ways. Instead, I was met with appreciation and gratitude. We had completed our mission, and hopefully, these changes will continue for many years to come. This internship made me more confident in my decision to have a future in Extension Education.