I have come a long way since starting my first Ogallala Commons Internship in 2018.Then, I was unsure of myself. I wasn’t sure how I would be able to write regular blogs, complete community service, conduct a harvesting ceremony on top of the paid 200 hours! Now, three years later, I can say that I am fully capable of accomplishing all of those tasks and much more.
Although this year’s Ogallala Commons Internship may have looked a bit different for me this year, I was still able to conduct my annual Harvesting Ceremony. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, I decided to host a small harvesting ceremony at a local Chamber board meeting, rather than planning for a large event. I was able to email a copy of my ceremony to those who contributed to my success this year, but did not attend the event.
This year, my internship took place at the Haxtun Chamber of Commerce. Similar to the past two years, a large majority of my internship hours were spent managing the chamber of commerce’s social media. In June, I assisted in launching a “Shop Local Campaign”. Shopping locally is extremely important to rural communities in order to keep revenue in local economies for generations to come. My role in the brand new “Shop Local Campaign” was to manage all social media entries. I designed seven interactive Facebook graphics that were posted on a weekly basis in the Haxtun Chamber of Commerce Facebook group. For example, on “Takeout Tuesday”, participants would share photos of food purchased from local businesses. Their entries were put into a drawing for a surprise basket!
Besides the Shop Local Campaign, I also designed many interactive Facebook posts to keep up engagement in the Chamber’s Facebook group. As for event planning, our Chamber puts on the annual “Old Fashioned Saturday Night”! Old Fashioned Saturday Night ( or OFSN, as we like to call it) takes place right down main-street, and is filled with lots of fun. There’s a car show, food vendors, burn-out and a street dance! I was in charge of a good portion of advertising for this event: Facebook posts, fliers for around town, sponsorship thank-yous, etc.
Despite the many ups and downs I faced this summer, I was still able to complete all of the required blogs, community service hours and 200 hours of actual internship work. I would like to thank Ogallala Commons for giving me this amazing opportunity. I cannot express how valuable this experience has been to me, both as a young professional and a young adult.
