Takeaways
- UGA Extension internships allow students to step out of the classroom and into real-world environments where they gain practical experience and see how university research directly serves Georgia communities.
- Interns collaborate with mentors, contribute to local projects, and build skills in communication, problem-solving, outreach, and public service that apply to a wide range of careers.
- Extension internships expand student’s perspectives and strengthen their connection to service, often increasing their interest in working in community-focused roles after graduation.
If you are a college student who likes to learn by doing, then University of Georgia Cooperative Extension may be the best place to spend your summer.
Each year, students trade classrooms for hands-on learning through UGA Extension’s network of county offices and research programs across Georgia. Interns might help farmers tackle crop challenges, support youth development programs or assist with community nutrition education. Each experience helps connect science to service, demonstrating how university research translates into real-world results.
The UGA Extension Summer Internship Program pairs students with county agents and specialists in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), the College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) and Georgia 4-H, often right in their own communities. Internships are open to rising juniors, seniors and graduate students from any university.
How it works
- Application period: Nov. 1, 2025-Jan. 2, 2026
- Internship dates: May 11-July 31, 2026
- Program areas: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Family and Consumer Sciences or 4-H Youth Development
- Placement: Students are matched with county offices or state specialists. While each intern applies to a specific program area, most collaborate across teams and learn how Extension programs connect across disciplines.
- Experience: Interns gain professional skills, meet mentors and contribute to projects that make a difference in Georgia communities.
- Capstone: The summer concludes with a statewide poster presentation and graduation ceremony.
Meet the 2025 UGA Extension interns
Troy Loggins: Agriculture and Natural Resources intern, Barrow County
For water and soil resources major Troy Loggins, a summer internship with Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Agent Joshua Grant in Barrow County was a perfect fit.
Barrow’s mix of farmland and new subdivisions gave him a wide range of experiences, from helping residents improve their yards to visiting small farms and learning how growers bring produce to market. Loggins said no two days were alike. Some were spent collecting soil samples, scouting pastures for pests or helping teach a fig propagation class. He even joined a 4-H whitewater rafting trip and shadowed the local Natural Resources Conservation Service team to learn more about conservation programs and how agencies work together for the greater good.
“If I could convince someone to apply, I’d tell them this — if you’ve ever heard of Extension and know how cool it is, or if you have any interest in agriculture or natural resources, you’ll love it,” Loggins said. “I got to shadow other agents in nearby counties, and they’re all great people who genuinely want to see you succeed. Josh set those opportunities up for me, which says a lot about the kind of mentor he is.”
He added that the experience helped expand his understanding and career outlook. “Visiting farms and seeing the whole farm-to-fork process, realizing it doesn’t just appear in the grocery store — that really stuck with me. And you might even find a new passion along the way. I didn’t realize how valuable entomology and plant pathology are to the bigger picture until this internship.”
Grant said opportunities like the internship show the full scope of Extension work. “They place students in the middle of community outreach,” he said. “Sure, interns handle some of the routine office work, but they also help deliver research-based programs for teachers, 4-H’ers, homeowners and producers. It’s a chance to practice communication and public service, and those are skills that transfer to any career.”
Kylan Campbell: Family and Consumer Sciences intern, Chatham County
Kylan Campbell said her internship felt like a homecoming. A senior majoring in human development and family science, she returned to Chatham County, where she grew up, to work with the local Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) team.
“I wanted to see what it was really like to work in the community, especially the one that raised me,” she said.
Her days rarely looked the same. Some weeks she led STEAM activities for children at the Main Street YMCA and 21st Century camps. Other days she helped organize financial literacy programs or media projects. One of her favorite memories was hosting a day camp at Oatland Island Wildlife Center, where she helped kids “unplug and explore outside.”
Sergia Gabelmann, the county’s 4-H agent, said Campbell quickly became part of the team and was an asset to have as a collaborator. “She brings bright ideas and so much energy,” Gabelmann said. “Having an intern allows us to reach more people. It’s truly invaluable.”
Campbell said the summer gave her confidence as she prepares for a career in public service. “It’s an awesome opportunity to take what you’re learning and gaining experience with professionalism, communication and working with others — it’s beneficial no matter what you want to do,” she said. “But hopefully you’ll want to do Extension, too.”
Mallika Mahida: Nutritional sciences Ph.D. intern, food safety and fermentation
When Mallika Mahida moved from India to Athens to begin her doctorate in nutritional sciences, she had never heard of UGA Extension. “It’s kind of a well-kept secret,” she said with a laugh. “But once I learned what it was, I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do.”
Working with Carla Schwan, FACS assistant professor and Extension food safety specialist, Mahida created a “Kombucha 101” toolkit to help county agents teach safe, at-home fermentation workshops. The project followed a kombucha guide she helped develop the previous year.
Mahida said she enjoys taking what they do in the lab and turning it into something the community can actually use. “As a scientist, it’s incredibly rewarding when we spend hours in the lab working on answering a particular question and we finally find the answer,” she said. “And when we go back to the community and see the smiles on their faces, it brings me joy and I want to continue doing that in my future job.”
Her project moved through the entire Extension process: identifying a need, reviewing the science, creating plain-language materials and training county agents to lead workshops across Georgia.
“Extension is the bridge between the university and the community,” Schwan said. “If you have the passion and are willing to learn, we can teach you the rest.”
Mahida said the payoff is simple. “If one person avoids getting sick because they learned to ferment safely, it’s worth it,” she said.
Joshua Emmanuel: Agricultural and applied economics intern, Dougherty County
For Joshua Emmanuel, a master’s student studying agricultural and applied economics, the summer internship in Dougherty County was his first chance to connect theory to the soil.
Originally from Nigeria, Emmanuel wanted to understand Georgia’s production systems, especially pecans, the state’s most valuable crop. He worked with ANR Agent Vivek Bist on pecan fungicide trials aimed at managing scab disease, one of the crop’s toughest challenges.
Reflecting on his summer experience, Emmanuel said “learning by doing” expanded his understanding of agricultural production. “I’ve learned more in 12 weeks than I ever could have from a textbook,” Emmanuel said. “You can’t understand the economics of agriculture until you understand production.”
He also joined cotton variety trials, soil-moisture testing, and drone and precision-agriculture trainings, getting a broad look at how research moves from the field to the farm.
Bist said the experience benefits everyone involved. “Programs like this connect academia and Extension and help prepare the next generation of agents,” he said.
“This taught me what service to the community really means,” Emmanuel said. “Being out there trying to help people solve problems has really given me a lot of excitement because I feel I’m a part of bigger things.”
Lydia Belflower: Agricultural communication intern, State 4-H Office
A longtime 4-H’er from Cochran, Georgia, Lydia Belflower brought her years in the program full circle through an internship that gave her behind-the-scenes access.
An agricultural communication major, she spent her summer with the Georgia State 4-H Office helping plan and deliver some of the organization’s biggest events: the State 4-H Horse Show, State Council and State 4-H Congress, where she supported portfolio interviews and served as a room host.
“Several years ago when I was an active 4-H’er, I competed in State Congress, and this was one of my favorite events to attend,” she said. “Being an intern this summer and getting to help run the behind the scenes, with all of the work going into this event, has been really special. I never would have imagined all of the moving pieces that go into making something happen.”
Associate State 4-H Leader Mandy Marable said that kind of perspective is what the internship is meant to offer. “It’s hands-on program development — like student teaching — and you walk away understanding how design, delivery and evaluation all fit together,” Marable said.
Belflower said 4-H has always been a core part of who she is and credits it with helping her get to where she is today. “But being on this side of 4-H, working on programming and events, has really opened my eyes,” she said. “It’s a full-circle moment and it’s made me appreciate the impact even more.”
Ready to apply or know someone who would benefit?
Applications for the 2026 UGA Extension Summer Internship Program are open through Jan. 2, 2026.
Apply now at extension.uga.edu/internships.
