This past summer, I worked as the Events and Marketing Coordinator for the Kansas FFA Foundation in Manhattan, Kansas.
In my position, I worked on a wide range of tasks, from event logistics during the Kansas FFA State Convention to social media and public relations. For most of the summer I worked to develop materials that could be provided to donors and supporters of the Kansas FFA that showcased FFA members and their accomplishments.
During my internship, I learned and became proficient in several Adobe Creative Cloud programs, including Illustrator, InDesign, and After Effects. These allowed me to create graphics for social media, handouts and flyers for donors, and highlight videos for the various programs that the foundation supports. I also learned about the inner workings of the foundation, and the basic framework of a nonprofit organization.
My favorite work this summer was the ability to create videos using Adobe Premiere and After Effects. The videos included highlights of how the Kansas FFA has grown in the past year, as well as a recap video of the Kansas FFA State Convention. The highlight video was played during one of the convention’s sessions, so that was a very gratifying moment. These projects did take a while in terms of fine tuning and processing, which was probably my least favorite part of the summer, but the time passed quickly and also let me get to know those that worked around me even better. The skills that I picked up this summer have allowed me to grow my portfolio, as well as allowing me to be more confident and comfortable with future projects that involve creating media.
My internship became my part-time job during the school year after the summer concluded, so the dates of the summer internship were May 16 to Aug. 19. I heard about the internship through two ways: I was friends with the previous intern who was graduating, and a notice for the position went out over the ag communications listserv. Upon my graduation in May there will most likely be an open position, and those that are interested can contact Jodi Mason, the executive director of the foundation, about any potential opportunities. I would recommend this internship to anyone who had a strong connection to the FFA and has an interest in being involved in a behind-the-scenes way, likes social media management and/or wants to see how a nonprofit organization operates and grows.