Name: Alaina Gebel
Major: Agricultural and Life Sciences Education and Global Resource Systems, minor in Agronomy
Year: Sophomore (Internship summer 2024)
Hometown/State: Waukon, IA
Company/Organization: Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation
Title: Borlaug - Thomson Intern
Location: Cresco, IA
Describe your internship responsibilities: I began my summer in Rome, Italy with the Dean’s Global Food and Agriculture Program. Through this Iowa State study abroad program, seven other students and I worked in two separate groups to develop a project for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. My group researched small-holder farmers’ adoption of mobile phones in Sub-Saharan Africa. We were in Rome of a month. During the last week, we presented our research findings to the staff of the FAO. Our research will help FAO staff continue research on mobile phone’s impact and create new programs to help individuals in need in African nations.
As the Borlaug-Thomson intern, I started my internship by helping the Howard County Extension staff prepare for the Mighty Howard County Fair. During the fair, I assisted with various livestock shows, educated the public about the swine industry in the baby pig barn, and other 4-H events. Following the completion of the Mighty Howard County Fair, I gave tours at the Norman Borlaug Boyhood and Birthplace farms to guests. I also had a booth at the Winneshiek and Allamakee County Fairs. I educated the public about Norman Borlaug and how they can play an important role in combatting hunger in their own communities. Due to my major in Agricultural Education, I focused on creating a curriculum for high school students educating them about Norman Borlaug, the Green Revolution, food insecurity, and the Iowa Youth Institute. The curriculum was distributed to all 275 agriculture teachers in Iowa. I also created a library program curriculum about Norman Borlaug and the importance of consuming a balanced diet. I facilitated this curriculum to 6-11 year olds at the local library. Finally, I gave a speech at the opening ceremonies of the Norman Borlaug Harvest Festival celebrating Norman Borlaug’s life and legacy.
What did you enjoy most about this internship? What I enjoyed most about this internship was the opportunity to meet so many people throughout the United States who had some interest or connection to Norman Borlaug. I loved hearing everyone describe why they took a tour of the farm or why they stopped by my booth at the fair. I realized that if you eat, then you have a connection to Norman Borlaug and the legacy he left behind.
I also loved that I got to focus on my interests relating to Norman Borlaug and complete projects that reflected my passions. I had the freedom to decide what I would accomplish every day and complete projects that benefit my future career in the agriculture education space.
I also enjoyed working with the individuals that were on the Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation board. Everyone had such unique life experiences that led them to becoming involved in the foundation. All board members were extremely passionate about global hunger and continuing Norman Borlaug’s legacy. I learned so much from the board members and how important it is to work with individuals who are team players and passionate about their work to ensure success. I will carry the life lessons they taught me for the rest of my life.
How has this experience impacted your future career plans? This experience opened my eyes to the severity of global food insecurity and how I can play an essential role in alleviating hunger. Hunger is a severe problem, and if there aren’t people trying to help those facing hunger, then the problem will continue to get worse. This internship helped me realize that I want to help people experiencing hunger and food insecurity through education. I enjoyed the opportunity to spread awareness to my community about this global issue and would love to continue educating others in the future.
What resources did you utilize to obtain this internship? I learned about this internship when applying for the OneApp scholarships. I also heard about this internship because I am friends with the intern that held this position last year and she told me about how she enjoyed it.
What advice would you offer to other students seeking similar internships? Advice that I would offer other students seeking similar internships and having the freedom to pick the focus of internship projects, is to be diligent with your time. Each day, I created a “to do” list of things I wanted to get done each day to hold myself accountable. At the beginning of my internship, I made a list of goals I wanted to accomplish and then I prioritized the activities I felt would be the best use of my time. This helped me realize the direction I wanted to take during my time in the internship.
Another piece of advice I would offer is don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you don’t know how to do something, it is better to ask how to do it and learn how to do it correctly. It can be difficult to ask for help and admit that you don’t know how to do something. However, most people realize that you want to learn to be better by asking for help and will gladly lend a helping hand.
Lastly, through this internship I learned what my talents and weaknesses were. Embrace your talents and passions but continue working on those weaknesses. I have a strong passion for educating others and forming connections with those around me. However, I am not very good at gardening or repairing buildings, but I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to learn more about these fields. The best way to learn is by doing. It is difficult to push yourself out of that comfort zone, but that is where learning and growing occurs.