Slice of Intern Life: Goodbye, Nebraska Wheat Board!

Hi all! As my time at the Nebraska Wheat Board comes to a close, I’d like to reflect on what I learned during my internship and share what’s next for me. Although my time with the NWB was relatively short, I learned so much about Nebraska’s wheat industry and was able to truly grow professionally and personally.

One of the biggest areas I grew in was communication. Throughout my internship, communication took many forms such as interviewing industry professionals, event planning and coordination, fielding phone calls for the office and giving presentations. Communication was a skill that challenged me to trust my own abilities and grow more confident in them. In order to be an effective communicator for the NWB, I had to learn as much as I could about it to be confident in sharing information on its behalf. By the end of my internship, I have become a more comfortable presenter, interviewer, and professional communicator.

Another way this internship helped me grow was by pushing me outside my comfort zone. Overnight travel, presenting to more than 200 high school students, participating in radio interviews, and accompanying the president and vice president of the North American Millers’ Association on a trade team visit are just a few of the things I did not imagine I would have done. While each of these opportunities might have been intimidating, they ultimately gave me the confidence to take on bigger responsibilities. By the end of my internship, I felt very accomplished and made me excited to keep doing things that challenge me.

The most rewarding part of my internship was seeing how much I grew and improved my work over time. Many of my responsibilities were completely new to me. I had never written a press release, attended any sort of board meeting, or had independently done meeting or event coordination. In the beginning, it was overwhelming and slightly nerve wracking to be trusted with large projects, but by the end I felt entirely capable of taking on big responsibilities. I can leave this internship knowing I am capable of handling important projects that I once felt were far beyond my experience.

As I begin my senior year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, my coursework will focus primarily on agricultural business and economics. Because of this internship, I will be able to connect with classroom material deeper now that I have solid agricultural industry experience under my belt. This internship has given me real-world perspective that will help me understand the content in a more meaningful way. I also am looking forward to taking a course centered around reflecting on my internship. This gives me the opportunity to share everything I did and learned at the NWB and how valuable this experience is to my professional development.

This internship gave me the experience and confidence I needed to take the first step toward a career in Nebraska agriculture. As someone who is from out of state and did not grow up with an agricultural background, gaining an inside perspective on the industry was very important to me. I am so grateful to have this meaningful exposure to the professional community I will be joining after graduation. I could not have gotten this opportunity or experience without Jadyn, Sam, and Royce. It means so much to me to have been able to meet and work alongside them. I am leaving this internship with an entire new set of skills and a new network of wheat producers and industry professionals. I am excited to continue building on all that I’ve learned as I begin a new chapter!

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