My name is Kaitlyn Vicker, and I am a senior in Agricultural Communications and Journalism, with an emphasis in environmental sciences. This past summer, I was the Summer Communications Intern at Kansas Wheat Innovation Center located in Manhattan, Kansas.
The following points are some intern responsibilities:
- To research, prepare and write press releases and new articles for distribution
- Conduct interviews and write harvest reports
- Write blogs for Kansas Wheat websites
- Assist with editing and design communication tools, including newsletters and websites
- Answer phones and greet visitors as needed
- Carry out special plans and projects with various Kansas Wheat staff members in support of the marketing plan
- Assist with design of the annual recipe book
I learned three things during my internship: relationships are key, the things we are doing matter, and communication. There are multiple familiar faces outside the organization of Kansas Wheat. Getting to know them personally and building those relationships continues business growth and creates new possible connections. We are all advocating for the same idea and purpose at Kansas Wheat: farmers investing in their future through wheat genetics research. The projects you are working on or the articles you are writing might feel like they aren’t impacting the public. I learned the work I was doing was making an impact on the public, not just in the United States, but worldwide. People have an interest in the wheat produced in the United States and possibly Kansas wheat specifically. Putting out correct and accurate information regarding wheat is important to create a consistent message to the public. I also learned communication is important in any work place or environment. In order to effectively and efficiently get projects done, we need to communicate with coworkers to help collaborate on their tasks for the end project. This will not always create an easy road to the finish line, but it could help answer questions and confusion.
My biggest area of growth was the connections I made, as well as discovering a new interest of mine. Since my internship, I have had the opportunity through my classes this fall to have conversations with coworkers of mine from Kansas Wheat, who happen to be K-State AgCom alumni. This experience helped me gain experiences as well as connections. I can reach out to these individuals for advice on agricultural or ag communications questions. They are willing to lend a helping hand by giving me firsthand experience in their career(s) in ag communications and journalism.
This internship taught me three things: I am in the right direction of a career for myself, I learned a new skill in graphic design and there is always room to grow and learn new things. The more and more I get into classes that are geared toward my major, the more I know I am in the right career choice for me. Even though I am not for sure which direction I would like to go, I can be confident in my choice with Ag Communications and Journalism has a job out there that is best suited for me. During this internship, I picked up a new interest or skill in videography. In the same way that “a picture is worth a thousand words”, a video can help capture a moment or connect the viewer to the subject of video in a different way than words or a picture might. This is a skill I am researching more on my own and would love to use it in the future. The last thing I learned was there is always room to learn something new. There is always a different way something can be done or a different way to express an idea. I look forward to all the new ways I will learn in how to communicate with the public in the future.
I would recommend this internship to anyone who is wanting some hands-on experience with agricultural topics and issues. This internship gave me experiences in social media, writing press releases and articles for the website, as well as communication with farmers and co-ops. These experiences are things I will take with me for a long time.