Internships

4-H Urban Garden Program Assistant:
Victoria Scarbro, North Carolina State University

The intern developed 4-H Teaching Gardens at Russell-Shea Growers Community Gardens (Concord) and at the Education Farm at Joppa Hill (Bedford). Utilizing these host sites, the intern designed and delivered garden-centered programming that engaged youth and families, promoting the development of agricultural literacy. Working collaboratively with the NH 4-H Agriscience Field Specialist and the UNH STEM Discovery Lab Program Director, the program assistant identified appropriate 4-H research-based curriculum to utilize in programming. The Urban Garden Program Assistant sought out opportunities to partner with other youth-serving organizations like the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, and 21st Century Community Learning Centers to engage youth not served by the 4-H program in the 4-H Teaching Gardens.

Consulting Forestry Internship:
Carter Cassedy, Forestry ’24; Donovan Lombara, Forestry ‘25

These interns built their skills by performing duties that are common for consulting foresters, including boundary marking, invasive species management, timber sale layout and operation, permitting, marking timber, inventory, mapping, and other duties as assigned.

Farmer Support Systems Intern:
Serena Britos, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems ‘24

Serena assisted Extension Food & Agriculture staff with collecting critical evaluation data that was used in grant reporting and to inform needs assessment for future programming to address issues of farmer support systems in the future. Projects included investigating inflation-induced changes to NH farm prices and consumer behavior, supporting the Farm Strong New Hampshire program, and assisting with the Beginning Farmer Program.

Health & Well-Being Program Assistants:
Olivia Arangio, Health & Physical Education ‘25; Rachel Goding, Master of Science: Nutritional Sciences ‘23

Olivia and Rachel worked on a variety of initiatives, such as nutrition education, farmer's market educational food demos, farm-to-school initiatives, recipe development, social marketing, curriculum review and development, and needs assessments.

Integrated Pest Management Intern: 
Aaron Hoag, Sustainable Agriculture & Food System ‘25

Aaron worked with Extension staff around the state to help collect data for the Integrated Pest Management Program and spent time processing samples in the Plant Diagnostic Lab on the UNH campus in Durham. This position included traveling with staff to different sites 2-3 days a week to check insect traps, scout for diseases, maintain field trials, interact with growers and other Extension staff. Days not in the field were spent in the diagnostic lab or completing office work to support IPM programming and outreach events.

Lake Water Quality Monitoring Intern: 
Kaleb Ducharme, Master of Science: Genetics ‘25

Kaleb was hired by the Lakes Lay Monitoring Program to focus on lake water quality monitoring with special investigations in cyanobacteria identification. This was a unique opportunity to work for the Lakes Lay Monitoring Program, in collaboration with Wolfeboro Waters, to implement the monitoring of harmful cyanobacteria blooms and occurrences. The program focused on the sampling and processing of lake samples for water quality analyses for the State of NH.

Nature Communications and Outreach Intern: 
Samantha Giudice, Communication: Business Applications, ‘24

Samantha assisted two New Hampshire-based conservation organizations, Nature Groupie and TrailFinder, with outreach and communication projects. Projects included creating content for social media and websites, photography, attending volunteer events, marketing merchandise, and more.

Nature Groupie Field Internship: 
Daniel Ehrsam, Wildlife & Conservation Biology ‘24; Jason Reyes, Wildlife & Conservation Biology ‘24; Maddy Smith, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability and Political Science ‘24

The field interns assisted New England-based conservation organizations and public agencies in implementing stewardship and environmental research projects. Staff from Nature Groupie, based at UNH Cooperative Extension, coordinated an internship with a variety of field-based projects over the summer hosted by at least four (4) different New Hampshire environmental organizations, such as land trusts, public agencies, researchers, and communities.

NH Barn Trail Intern: 
Ryan Cutting, History ‘24

Ryan assisted UNH Cooperative Extension staff in conjunction with the NH Barn Committee to help launch the NH Barn Trail project. They conducted research on barns around the state and compiled information for educational and tourism purposes.

Photography Intern: 
Caroline Cavaleiri, Business Administration: Management ‘23

Caroline was responsible for taking, editing, and archiving images for publication, broadcast, presentations, and social media that supported UNH's brand identity and strategic goals. Over the course of a summer, the Extension photographer attended at least 40 photo shoots across the state, took over 2,000 images, and processed over 1,000 images for the UNH photo library.

Social Media Intern:
Madison Berry, Communication ‘26

The intern collaborated with the marketing team to create and curate engaging content, analyze performance metrics, and engage with the online community to strengthen brand awareness and drive engagement.

STEM Education and Natural Resource Interns: 
Taylor Driskill, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability ‘25; Beth Thomas, Master of Education: Elementary Education ‘25

Taylor and Beth were placed at the Mead Base Conservation Center, the southernmost entry to the White Mountain National Forest. Located in Sandwich, NH, Mead Base hosted a historic farmhouse and campsites and served as a launchpad for several trailheads, including the Wentworth Trail up Mt. Israel. They planned and delivered 4-H youth STEM programs in Carroll County. The interns learned and taught existing 4-H STEM Pathway activities and chose at least one other STEM topic to develop and teach to youth. These local STEM programs were offered in partnership with local libraries to engage youth and teach them STEM and 4-H Life Skills. In addition to the 4-H programming, the Summer Interns also worked with the Friends of Mead Base Conservation Center to support natural resource management activities at Mead Base.

Website Junior Content Administrator: 
Samantha Boisvert, Communication ‘24

Samantha worked on reviewing, reformatting, and facilitating the correction of web content, assessing past content for quality, brand, and SEO compliance, and developing training materials for website editors.

Youth Leadership Intern: 
Kyle Brassard, Recreation Management & Policy

Kyle led youth programs, community outreach efforts, and program development with a focus on Healthy Living and Animal Science. The intern also worked to strengthen Animal Science Programs throughout Strafford County and assisted with the 4-H Animal Shows at the 2023 Stratham Summerfest.

Youth Mental Wellness Intern: 
Kate Mathews, Human Development & Family Studies ‘24

This intern was given several opportunities to engage with youth in a variety of settings, including direct service (working directly with youth) as well as program coordinating (planning details and preparation). They attended a 5-days, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. to chaperone three teens to the 4-H True Leaders in Equity Institute. The intern also supported the second annual 4-H Mindfulness Retreat at the Browne Center in Durham.

​​​​​​Agricultural Projects Intern:                                                                                               
Ashley Masse, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems ‘23

This intern worked with members of the Agriculture Business Management team on a number of different farm management education programs. The intern developed their knowledge on farm planning and used that knowledge to develop outreach videos for Extension. The intern also worked on a project to cultivate rich and complete marketing data about the agricultural business community communications behavior and preferences.

​​​​Barry Conservation 4-H Camp Counselors – Aquatics Intern:  
Lauren Thibeault, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability ‘25

This residential intern was a leader at camp, supervising campers in multiple cabins and daily activities, enforcing safety measures, working as a team, and representing Barry Conservation 4-H Camp in an enthusiastic, supportive, and informative manner. The Aquatics Intern planned and coordinated all aquatic activities at camp, including conducting camper swim tests, supervising swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and other water related activities.

Community Resilience & Youth Wellness Intern:          
Daisy Young, English and Sustainability ‘23

This intern helped with two projects. The first was the Building Community Resilience Project. Communities in the Kearsarge, Mascoma, and Haverhill areas are addressing barriers to health and helping individuals, families, and communities thrive in the face of adversity. The student intern helped to bring the stories of local voices and faces to the project. They connected with community members and volunteers engaged in the local community action project to capture their stories as well as assist them in implementing the action plans that they’ve developed in their community. The second project was on Youth Behavioral Health & Wellness. The intern helped identify settings (4-H programs, schools, afterschool programs, community events) where support was needed in the form of youth mental health resources and/or direct service.

Foothills Foundation Intern:
T. Troy, Community & Environmental Planning ‘24

This internship assisted UNH Extension's work with the Foothills Foundation, and may also work on other statewide tourism and recreation related projects. The intern worked with Extension staff and their community and nonprofit organization partners to recruit volunteers, assisted with developing and maintaining website and social media content, developed list of organizations engaged with trail networks in Central NH, planned networking events pertaining to trails and recreation, and research grants and other possible funding opportunities.

Forestry Internship With Harris Center For Conservation Education:  
Donovan Lombara, Forestry ‘25

This 10-week internship provided a forestry student with the opportunity to work with the Harris Center for Conservation Education located in Hancock, NH. The Harris Center promotes understanding and respect for the natural world through education programs, conservation research, and land protection. The intern worked throughout the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire on a variety of sites and projects. These projects included a diverse mix of forest management, conservation, and recreation related experiences.

Healthy Living Program Assistant:
Caroline Williams, Nutrition: Dietetics ‘24

The intern assisted in food access related education as well as policy, systems, and environmental change initiatives, designed to support communities in reducing food insecurity. These initiatives occur throughout the state and with a wide variety of partners (food pantries, farmers markets, schools, community centers, recovery centers, federal and state agencies, food alliances). The intern must be flexible and open to working on a variety of projects and initiatives throughout the state. Example of potential projects are hunger action month social media campaign, summer garden projects, healthy food pantry initiatives and plant a row in Strafford County.

​​​​​​Lakes Lay Monitoring Lab & Field Intern:                                 
Sara Forcina, Biochemistry: Molecular & Cellular Biology ‘24

The intern became proficient at using standard laboratory and field sampling techniques in water quality monitoring and employed evolving sampling and analytical techniques used to track potentially toxic cyanobacteria blooms. The intern interacted extensively with local volunteer monitors who collected water quality samples on their respective lakes and ponds. Through the collection and analysis of data, and the interaction with the lay public, the intern gained an appreciation of the need for quantitative data that contributes to a long-term database upon which stakeholders base informed decisions at the local level.

Mead Base Intern:                     
Beth Thomas, Human Development & Family Studies ‘25

This intern worked at the Mead Base Conservation Center, the southernmost entry to the White Mountain National Forest. The Base hosts a historic farmhouse and campsites and serves as a launchpad for several trailheads including the Wentworth Trail up Mt. Israel. The summer intern  designed and delivered environmental 4-H youth programming, developed + facilitated an extensive 4-H Special Interest program for youth, and support natural resource management activities at the Base.

Nature Groupie Field Interns:
Malian Jennings, Environmental Conservation & Sustainability ’25; Daniel Persico, Wildlife & Conservation Biology ’25; Emily Wood, Wildlife & Conservation Biology ‘23

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​This internship assisted New England-based conservation organizations and public agencies in implementing stewardship and environmental research projects. Staff from Nature Groupie, based at UNH Cooperative Extension, coordinated an internship with a variety of field-based projects over the summer hosted by at least four (4) different New Hampshire environmental organizations such as land trusts, public agencies, researchers and communities. Stewardship and conservation projects were selected to offer a diverse set of opportunities. These interns showed great enthusiasm for working outdoors in various conditions, and will received training in field work safety, invasive plant management, trail maintenance, and use of tools and technology for field work.

New Hampshire Libraries Project Intern:
Emily Buehne, Undeclared ‘25

Check Out UNH is a donor-funded project, endorsed by Advancement and the Office of Outreach and Engagement, that facilitates a UNH partnership with NH public libraries. The project includes placement of interactive kiosks in libraries, educational items in public circulation and support resources for the statewide summer reading program that engages 15,000 library patrons each year. The project was in year 1 of a five-year pilot plan and is poised to place one kiosk in the Dover public library, NH tide pool exploration kits in five libraries and support for the “Oceans of Possibilities” summer reading program in over 50 libraries in 2022. This intern was critical in supporting the summer reading program implementation by coordinating with UNH program staff and librarians to schedule programs and provide educational content about UNH marine research and activities. Duties of this intern included email correspondence, delivery of educational programs at libraries, distribution of materials to libraries, data entry to Salesforce, creation of a Check Out UNH newsletter and implementation of a social media campaign.

​​​​​​Summer Photography Interns:
Jake Kitterman, Business Administration: Entrepreneurial Studies ’23; Jackie Weik, Communication: Business Applications ‘23

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​These interns were responsible for taking, editing and archiving images for publication, broadcast, presentations and social media that support UNH’s brand identity and strategic goals. Many images are critical for the production of Extension’s annual Radius publication. Position included opportunities for training by UNH photographers. Duties included scheduling and leading photo shoots across the state as assigned, interviewing program staff and volunteers for supporting information, processing and uploading images to Extension photo library.

​​​​​​Social Media Intern:
Brianna Berry, Business Administration: Marketing ‘23