I cannot believe that it’s time to say goodbye to the In the Field Blog. A person’s first internship isn’t always a great experience, but I was lucky enough to work for the State Fair and the Department of Agriculture and have the best five months ever. When I first started as the Public Relations intern at the end of May, I truly did not know what to expect. Would I love it? Would I hate it? Spoiler alert – I loved it so much that I stuck around for the Fair.
This experience has taught me so much. I have loved writing articles for this blog and meeting people who make up North Carolina Agriculture. I have spoken to who is now my favorite artist, multiple local singer/songwriters and many local farm families, just to name a few. Speaking to these people taught me what hard work and dedication to your chosen career is. Writing blogs is not only for the readers, but also impacts me more than I ever thought.
I have been able to write speeches, press releases, scavenger hunts and even work with social media. These opportunities have not only made me improve (thank you to Andrea’s red pen) but have also taught me creativity, time management and so much more. There is no better feeling than seeing a press release that you wrote get picked up by the media, or seeing kids on the fairgrounds participate in a scavenger hunt that you made.
At the end of the summer, I knew that I could not let this experience end without experiencing the N.C. State Fair from a new perspective. I stayed on board and in October, we moved to the fairgrounds. What was the craziest two weeks of my life was also the most rewarding. Moving there, I knew that my time with the State Fair was coming to an end, so my goal was to soak up every moment. And let me just say, every day I spent at the fairgrounds was my Best.Day.Ever! From following Taylor around to make TikTok’s or livestream, to midday walks for pictures with Mike to just sitting in the Press Office talking about how crazy everyone gets during fair time, I know that I made memories on the fairgrounds that I will value in the future.
Of course, gaining experience and learning for the past five months has been awesome, but it’s the people that I am glad to have shared an office with made my intern experience all the better. Every single person that I have worked with has taught me something that I value, which not everyone gets to say. I have gained both mentors and friends through this experience, and I am so thankful for that. We shared laughs, had coffee runs, played games and more. I know that I will return to see everyone in the press office next year during the Fair.
I am leaving the Department of Agriculture more confident than I was when I got here. I know that I chose the right career for myself, and I am more excited than ever to learn and grow in the future. I will be thankful for this experience for the rest of my life. Goodbye, In the Field. I have loved every second I have spent as an intern with NCDA&CS.