If you stop by the Smith County Extension Office this summer, you may see a new but familiar face. We are happy to have Grace Harville working with us as our summer intern. Grace is currently a junior at the University of Tennessee Knoxville majoring in Agricultural Leadership with a minor in Child and Family Studies. While at school, she works as a student assistant for the Tennessee 4-H Foundation.
Grace has been involved with Smith County Extension in one capacity or another for more than ten years. She had an impressive 4-H career and is now an FCE member and active 4-H alumni and volunteer. Grace states, “My experiences that I had through 4-H and being a member of our county’s FCE program for the past few years has led me to my career choice of becoming an Extension Agent. I wanted to intern with UT Extension Smith County to gain more experience on how Extension works on a daily basis, not just in the area of 4-H, but in Agriculture and Natural Resources and Family and Consumer Sciences, as well.”
Over the summer, Grace will be assisting with 4-H Day Camps, helping at the Smith County Fair, going on farm visits, observing FCS programs, and much more. Grace hopes to one day make Extension a career, and a summer internship is a great place to start. “Throughout my ten year 4-H journey, and when it came to deciding what I wanted to do for a career, I knew that I wanted to be a part of the 4-H program in some way. Becoming a 4-H Extension Agent will give me the opportunity to offer youth in Tennessee experiences that they might not be able to take part in in other organizations,” Grace says.
Grace feels it is important to put the 4-H motto, “To Make the Best Better”, into practice in all aspects of her life. Her advice to current 4-H members would be “to take the skills that you have learned in 4-H and apply them in your post-secondary experience and beyond. The skills that I have gained through 4-H in leadership, public speaking, professionalism, and service have benefited me as I have moved on to college, and I know that they will also benefit me in the future when searching for jobs or in daily life.” We look forward to great things from Grace as a 4-H Alumni, Night Owls FCE Club member, and as our intern this summer. We hope you will help us make her feel welcome as you see her at Extension events this summer!
