A Summer of Firsts

Where did the past three months go?  It seems like just yesterday that I left Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and made the long drive to Omaha, Nebraska to start my first ever internship away from home and 4-H, but here I am saying farewell. This summer truly was one of many firsts for me. Not only was it my first time being away from my family and home so long, it was my first Jr. National show, I got to see some states that I had never been to before, and I got to check a lot of other things from my bucket list.



Opening Ceremonies at the Junior National.

 

Thank you to everyone here at the American Shorthorn Office for giving me the chance to learn from you and making me feel at home here. You all helped me figure out what I was doing, got me back on track, and kept me going all summer. A big thank you goes to Gwen Crawford for giving me this opportunity and always being there when I run to her with my questions. We learned early on this summer that I take things very literally and sometimes that is good thing, but sometimes not so much. She is one of my role models now and I can only hope to be like her when I grow up.



My first time being in Nebraska this summer.

 

I really don’t think that I can put my experiences this summer into words just because so much has happened. But if I learned one thing here this summer it is that you never say no to trying something new. Not only this summer did I get to meet many amazing people who taught me life lessons that I will cherish forever, I took giant steps in my life. There is no doubt in my mind that this has been my best summer ever and I couldn’t have imagined sharing it with anyone else. I will always be grateful for being an ASA intern and I wish the best to everyone here.

-Laura 

It’s certainly bigger than anything in PA!