My internship with Ogallala Commons has been an overall memorable experience. When I first signed up, I had no idea that I would be taught many important skills such as work ethic, time management, and communication skills. In May, I signed up to intern along with four other members of our community, and we were each assigned our individual assignments and work schedules. I was assigned the job of creating a map of the town of Nazareth and the area surrounding it, also called “Greater Nazareth.” I had no prior experience with creating maps, so I had to be innovative and find a way to create a map with the programs I had available. I decided to use Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet program, to create the map. After months of documenting the locations of members of the community and making sure the map was proportionally correct, I had finally completed it. I am proud of how the map has turned out, and I am happy that the hours I have spent working on it have proven to be beneficial.
Through the making of this map I have learned valuable skills and gained an idea of what it is like to work on a project for an extended period of time. I have learned to balance this internship with other summer activities, such as 4-H State Roundup and FFA State Convention, family vacations, and a part time job. I had to learn to prioritize my time and plan ahead for upcoming conflicts in my schedule. I have learned communication skills as well, and have had to work with my internship supervisors as well as other members of the community to schedule meetings and plan events. I have also learned time management, as I have had to learn to give up certain activities to make time for the internship. I had to always keep in mind that I had to work towards reaching my given set of hours, and this internship became more of a priority as the summer progressed. Nevertheless, the most worthwhile part of this internship was being able to see the hours of work I had put into this project pay off. The process of mapping, although it seemed slow, was rewarding in the end. I really enjoyed watching not only my but also my fellow interns’ projects evolve from an assignment to a reality. My time as an intern has been an overall memorable experience, and I am happy with the time I have spent working with Ogallala Commons.
