Summer Internship Program: Virginia Tech/FFA State Office

Primary Program Area Focus: FFA

1. Describe your plans for this internship.  (i.e. What specifically will the intern be doing?)

This intern will be developing educational programming relevant to Virginia Agricultural Education.  The intern will  work closely with the Virginia FFA team to plan and implement the annual Virginia FFA State Convention and the VAAE leadership to plan and implement the VAAE Summer Conference.   The duties will include but may not be limited to, organizing awards, registration management, creating name tags, check in participants and assisting in coordinating the check in processes, assisting with meal setup/pickups, AV/room setups, graphic design, photography, writing press releases, creating seating charts, light and sound cues and session scripting, and other logistical tasks as needed. This intern may also be involved with additional Virginia FFA summer programs such as Leadership Camp and summer state officer training sessions.

2.  Describe the knowledge / skills you expect the intern to gain from this experience.
We expect this intern will grow personally and professionally as a result of this experience. Throughout the internship, they will be challenged to exhibit excellent communication skills, time management, and adaptability in a fast-paced setting. They will have the opportunity to work independently and as part of a team. They should expect to think critically and creatively to work through the inevitable obstacles in conference planning. The intern will also gain experience in media arts including graphic design, Google Apps, video/photo editing, and survey management and design. They will also have the opportunity to work in stage production, script development, dress rehearsals and backstage logistics of the FFA convention sessions. They will work with agriculture teachers and VCE leaders from across the state on a daily basis which will assist them in developing a network of supporters moving forward. As supervisors, we will work to provide a supportive environment and ensure that expectations are continually met across the board. We will work with the intern to periodically provide feedback to support their growth throughout the internship.

3. How will the intern learn about the breadth of VCE and our various program areas?

The intern will work with agents and specialists in the coordination of Career Development and Leadership Development events at the State Convention. Many of the youth activities are joint 4H/FFA events so the intern will get work with a variety of agents and volunteers at the state conference. Agents and specialists in the Culpeper area will also be presenting workshops, and assisting with agricultural tours for the summer VAAE conference. Normally local agents also assist with the distribution of the meals packed at the Virginia- State Day of Service event. We also have worked with agents to help identify service projects for the kids to complete at camp.