The fear of Twitter

As I was going through the interview process in March with the American Hereford Association (AHA) I was asked the question, ‘Do you know how to use Twitter?’. I hestiated and replied that I didn’t have any experience using Twitter, but I planned on creating a personal account so I could learn before I started the internship – if I was selected. Well, the AHA hired me and three weeks into my internship I still hadn’t created a Twitter account. I quite honestly had forgotten all about it and Twitter scared me. It had always seemed so confusing.

Part of my duties as the AHA intern is to manage the social media for the National Junior Hereford Associaiton (NJHA). I had been updating statuses and posting photos on the NJHA Facebook account everyday, but pretended to forget that Twitter was part of the job description. Until two weeks ago when my boss, Amy, said we really needed to post something on Twitter. (I now know this is called tweeting!) So to avoid embarrasing the NJHA, I went home after work and created that personal account so I could make my mistakes under my own name. Thank goodness there is a delete option! Now that I have the hastags figured out and am dealing with the 140 character limitation, I enjoy Twitter. It’s where I get all of my beef industry information. Now I am in charge of the NJHA Twitter feed and am doing my best to keep it updated. I am also proud to say that Africa Agribusiness is following the NJHA – we’ve gone global!

Follow me on Twitter! jajohnson08

It takes two

I have been told that I am a type A personality and I don’t disagree. I like to be a leader and take charge and tend to be leery of group work. Anyone who has ever worked in a group knows it can be frustrating. After I was hired as the American Hereford Association intern, I found out that the AHA was hiring a second intern for more help with the Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE). This meant group work. I was excited that I would have a roommate and a new friend to explore Kansas City with, but was worried about spending so much time at home and at work with one person. It turns out I was worried for nothing. My co-worker and roommate, Klaire Jorgensen, is amazing and we are having a great time together. Klaire and I have split the JNHE responsibilities based on our strengths. She is an agriculture economics major and loves to deal with numbers and spreadsheets and does not care to write and plan events. I get to do the all of the communications work for JNHE and feel very blessed to have Klaire take care of the parts of the job I dislike! We make a great team.

The last two weeks at the office have been very busy. I have been helping process JNHE entries, writing news releases and am making a lot of progress organizing the 22 JNHE contests. I got the chance to work with Christy last week. She does all of the editorial layout for the Hereford World magazine and she taught me a lot! Yesterday I met with the Livestock Publications Council board members and four of the women helped me judge the JNHE photography contest entries. I really appreciated their help. I also recently had the chance to spend some time with the American Hereford Association historian, Bud Snidow. Some of you may know him as the man that does the “magic trick” with the acorn at the American Royal. This weekend I am traveling to Salem, Ill., for the Illinois Junior Hereford Preview Show. I will post photos soon!

The start of something new

As the second week of my dream internship winds down, I have already learned a lot. I am the American Hereford Association Junior Activities Intern and living in Kansas City, Mo., for the summer. From moving to a strange city to surviving several tornado warnings, there has yet to be a dull moment at the office. My first week on the job included a tour of the office and welcoming words from AHA employees, organizing scholarship applications, conferences calls with the Junior Board of Directors and preparation for the Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE). My main responsibility with my internship is making sure the 22 contests at the JNHE go off without a hitch. I have participated in my fair share of livestock shows and contests, but I never realized just how much work it takes to plan and execute a junior national! I now realize how important an internship is in the field I wish to have to have a career. Getting a first-hand look into how the American Hereford Association operates is the most valuable experience I’ve ever had.

Last week, Amy (my boss) was out of the office, which meant it was my responsibility to answer the phone. After non-stop phone calls on Monday from members with questions about JNHE, I was feeling slightly overwhelmed. I learned that doing your “homework” before starting any job and not being afraid to ask for help are very important. Luckily, I had read the JNHE guidelines and rules before I came to the office Monday morning and Mary Ellen, the AHA administrative assistant, was just around the corner to answer any questions I couldn’t. The rest of the week went much smoother once I got the hang of operating the junior department by myself!

Another exciting aspect of my internship is the opportunity to travel to Hereford preview shows across the country. Attending livestock shows is something I really enjoy. I just returned from the Kansas Junior Hereford Preview Show in Abilene. I was there as a representative of the AHA and to promote the JNHE. I met many Kansas Hereford breeders and took all of the backdrop photos for the show.

My office at the American Hereford Association.

NJHA member Wesley Denton and I at the Kansas Junior Hereford Preview Show.

Real world actually exists: Members blog on internships

This blog was created for Illini ACT members to stay in touch over the summer. Illini ACT members have landed exciting summer internships in various aspects of the agriculture industry. Members will post about their experiences and interesting projects they are working on for their internships.