Attention college juniors and seniors:

The American Hereford Association (AHA) is once again hiring a summer youth activities intern. This program provides a multi-faceted learning experience for a college student interested in beef breed association work, public relations and leadership. The intern will also assist in planning, management, junior show coverage and leadership during the 2018 Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) in Grand Island, Neb.

The duration of the internship will be from mid-May to mid-August, exact times will depend on student’s academic schedule.

“My time in Kansas City with #TeamHereford was nothing short of incredible,” says Amy Wolff. “From working with Amy, Bailey and the rest of the AHA staff, to planning JNHE and preparing for Faces of Leadership, there was never a dull moment. I truly enjoyed getting to know the junior board and Hereford enthusiasts from across the country.”

Wolff was the summer youth activities intern in 2016. She is now a national account manager for Lopez Foods, Inc., in Oklahoma City, Okla.

“We are very proud of the internship program we have built in the youth activities department and it is so rewarding to see past interns graduating and going on to be successful leaders in our industry,” says Amy Cowan, AHA’s director of youth activities and foundation. “The internship provides real-world experience and an in depth, behind the scenes look into breed associations.”

Major responsibilities of the intern include assisting the AHA director of youth activities with various summer activities. The intern also works closely with the 12-member junior board as well as the JNHE Ambassador team throughout the summer.

The candidate should have excellent writing and communication skills as well as experience and familiarity with the showring. The individual must be a self-starter with organization skills to carry out their responsibilities.

“I was hesitant to apply at first not being a Hereford person myself,” Wolff says. “When my internship came to a close I had not only grown a love for the breed, gained many new friends, but realized why the NJHA is one of the strongest junior breed associations.”

Applications for the internship are due on Feb. 15 and may be found on the careers page at Hereford.org.

Another position being offered by the AHA is the JNHE ambassador program. College students may apply to have the chance to be selected to assist the National Junior Hereford Association board and AHA staff during a two-week long mini internship. Ambassadors will arrive in Kansas City prior to the JNHE and will work through July 8 in Grand Island, Neb., orchestrating the biggest event of the year for the Hereford breed.

Ambassadors will gain experience in social media and communications, office and customer service, event planning and correspondence, contest organization and multitasking. These candidates must be 2018 high school graduates or older and may not be exhibitors or competitors at the 2018 JNHE. National show experience is preferred, but not required.

Applications can be found on the careers page and are due on March 15.

Any questions regarding the two programs can be directed to Amy Cowan at acowan@hereford.org or Bailey Clanton at bclanton@hereford.org.