By Blake Jackson
The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, part of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, offers students from across the nation a hands-on experience through its summer Extension internship program.
UK Extension interns spend 12 weeks in a county office, shadowing Extension agents, gaining practical experience, building professional connections, and learning the inner workings of a career in Extension. Many interns go on to pursue careers within Extension, following in the footsteps of previous participants.
Colby Dye, who interned in Warren County last summer, now serves as the agriculture and natural resources agent in Allen County. “My internship prepared me for the role that I am in today,” Dye said. “I really got an introduction into what we do in Extension.”
Christy Stearns, who began her Extension career as an intern in Bourbon County in 1996, held positions as a 4-H agent in Fayette County and a family and consumer sciences agent in Clinton County. “What I did as a summer intern really did impact my ability to be a longer-tenured, successful Extension agent,” Stearns said.
Many administrators also began as interns. Raven Ford, East Region area Extension director, interned in Hart County in 1999 and Edmonson County in 2000.
“The best part of working as an intern is that I was able to get a feel of Extension,” Ford said. “I did not grow up in Extension, so just being able to learn about the different program areas, being able to learn about the connections they made in the community, was one of the best parts.”
“That summer was very transformative to me,” Kenny Burdine, associate Extension professor and livestock economist said. “There are people I met in Woodford County in 1999 that I still talk with in 2025. I think that speaks to how impactful this internship program can be.”
In 2025, UK Extension welcomed a new group of interns eager to apply their skills and passions to projects such as equine programs, heirloom bean cultivation, livestock day camps, and community clean-ups.
Danielle Rinker, a Franklin County intern, said, “I’ve worked in Extension in Virginia and in Tennessee. I really liked to see what a third state’s Extension looked like, and I knew Kentucky had a really heavy equine presence, which is one of my passions.”
The application for Summer 2026 is open now, due by Oct. 31. Learn more at the UK Extension Internship Program.
Photo Credit: university-of-kentucky
Categories: Kentucky, Education