Life Back West
As I finish up my first week back at school, I can take a breath and look back on my summer and life as an intern.
I loved my internship with the UW-Extension 4-H Youth Development office in Iowa County, and finishing up with the fair last week definitely but the topper on my summer.
It was such a rewarding experience to see all of my hard work for the summer come together and watch all of the youth achieve their goals. Working with so many different kids through the summer made me so happy, and hearing parents telling me I did such a great job and that their kid enjoyed working with me was the greatest reward.
Working this internship has solidified my desire to work with junior members, but I'm not so sure 4-H Extension is the place for me. At least not at this point in my life.
I met so many great people who work in Extension, and I noticed a trend. 4-H Extension Agents start their work in the beginning of their life, or at the end. Young 4-H Agents work until they start settling down in life, and when they start having kids they move on to other areas of extension, maybe returning when their kids are about to leave high school. 4-H demands so much volunteer time, which is rewarding but time needs to be spent at home as well.
I guess that's the point of taking an internship. I loved what I did this summer, but now I know that maybe I would like to pursue something different when I am fresh out of school.