As a summer intern working at the Guilford County office of Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T, college student Camryn Ross found herself on the other end of education — teaching.
“This was an experience where, instead of learning only, I was learning and teaching,” Ross said of the internship, which included working at the Greensboro District 4-H Junior Dairy Show.
“I was learning how to do cattle shows and the next day I’m teaching the children. I just had so much fun!” said Ross, a sophomore at the University of North Carolina - Charlotte.
Ross and 17 other college interns received hands-on training at Extension offices across the state this summer.
And while their individual experiences varied, all of the interns were charged with developing some type of marketing campaign for their county Extension office, said Shameca Battle, Ed.D., Eastern Regional Director at N.C. A&T Cooperative Extension.
“They had a leeway to kind of figure out what was needed in their county,” Battle said of the campaigns.
Rekiyah Bobbit, left, Arcanae Clark, center, and Camryn Ross speak about working in Guilford County as Cooperative Extension at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University summer interns gathered at the N.C. A&T Farm Pavilion to share their experiences working in various professional realms, including Agriculture, Community and Rural Development, 4-H Youth Development, and Family and Consumer Sciences.
The interns presented their work at the 2025 Student Internship Program Presentations on Aug. 1 at the at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Farm Pavilion.
The presentations focused on a broad range of topics, from community gardens and food insecurity to promoting the summer programs offered by 4-H and Welcome Baby, which helps parents learn such things as making homemade baby food.
Formats included creating videos, radio advertising, web pages, social media campaigns and brochures.
Rekiyah Bobbitt, a senior landscape architecture student at A&T, said the internship was a balance of indoor work, such as organizing events and meetings, and outdoor work, such as visiting farms. She said it taught her the importance of giving back to her community.
“Community connectivity was the biggest lesson I’ve learned throughout this process,” Bobbitt said.
Gabriella Haddock, a University of Mount Olive senior who served in Montgomery County, said the internship was a great opportunity to network.
“This was really important to build connections … but also to get hands-on experience,” she said.
“This summer has just been amazing,” said Daniel Harmon, a Clemson University senior who interned in Johnston County. “I love being able to work with farmers. I love the impact Extension has on our communities. There’s something different about Extension, it’s just an amazing place and I’d just love to be a part of that when I graduate.”
Battle was pleased with the interns’ presentations. “You’ve shown that you’re more than ready to take what you gained here and apply it in other powerful ways,” Battle said. “This was just one chapter and I can’t wait to see what’s next for you all.”
