LITTLE ROCK — John Anderson, head of the Cooperative Extension Service in Arkansas, offered words of advice to the organization’s 2025 summer interns: “Start thinking of yourself as professionals and begin to figure out where your deep interests lie.”
Twenty-eight interns from colleges and universities in Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma will spend the summer conducting programming alongside extension staff. The paid internships include the county agent internship program, the Experiential Scholars Program, the animal science internship program and the 4-H and youth development state office internship, all of which range from 9-12 weeks.
Volunteer interns will also work with campers and lead programming at the Arkansas C.A. Vines 4-H Center. They are part of the Cooperative Extension Service’s land-grant outreach mission for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
“I hope each intern walks away with a better understanding of how the Division of Agriculture helps agriculture, families and communities every day with research-based information to better their lives — how we bring that information to the local level,” said Carla Due, extension Ouachita District Director for the Division of Agriculture and coordinator of the county agent internship program. “The Division of Agriculture does so much throughout the state, from soil samples, to water quality, to positive youth development, to community development and food preservation.”
Several county agent internship alumni have since been hired as full-time extension staff in county agent and program associate roles. Abby Frizzell, who will intern in family and consumer sciences in Franklin County this summer, was a 4-H member in Johnson County for 12 years and said becoming a county agent has “been the end goal for a long time now.
“I’ve always wanted to be a county agent because I wanted to give back and I wanted other kids to have what I had,” Frizzell said. “I worked as a temporary program assistant in the Johnson County Extension Office for the past three summers, and I’ve only fallen more in love with it.”
Julie Robinson, extension professor of community, professional and economic development and coordinator of the Experiential Scholars Program, said an important element of the program is how the interns work alongside extension mentors.
“The opportunity to work with existing extension professionals through the mentorship component of the program allows students to gain more knowledge, confidence and subject matter expertise from professionals who work in the field every day,” Robinson said.
Learning and living the mission of extension
During the interns’ orientation at the 4-H Center on May 19, Anderson emphasized the importance of the extension mission: to strengthen agriculture, communities and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices.
“The point of that research is that it actually goes into the hands of the decision maker to put into practice and increase their crop yields, increase the efficiency of their farm operation,” Anderson said. “We want to help families do a better job with their personal budget management or nutrition decisions, with raising their kids, with economic development for their community. Across all of these program areas, we’re doing work that ends up in decision-makers’ hands, so life is better for the people of this state.”
Anderson said a key element of this mission is the way the University of Arkansas shares knowledge with the people of the state, and vice versa — how information and data are gathered among Arkansans and then shared with the university.
“You give Arkansas stakeholders access to the resources of the university, and you communicate back to the university what the needs of the state are,” Anderson said. “You understand the problems that our stakeholders face, so you can help set the agenda for the University of Arkansas in terms of research and teaching programs.”
Roanna Wilson, extension 4-H Center program facilitator for the Arkansas Outdoor School, said she hopes the 4-H Center’s summer interns walk away from the program with an appreciation for service.
“Our interns get the opportunity to put into practice leadership skills, our 4-H life skills, in real conditions,” Wilson said. “It also provides the opportunity to positively impact the lives of our campers by being a role model. Mostly, my desire is that this summer intern experience sparks the desire and commitment to serve others throughout their lives.”
2025 Cooperative Extension Service summer interns:
County Extension Agent interns
Delta District
Kacie Clark, Arkansas State University-Beebe: White County, 4-H
Darius Gaines, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff: Jefferson County, Agriculture
Kadence Gibson, University of Arkansas at Monticello: Drew County, Agriculture
Claudia Pouncey, Mississippi State University: Crittenden County, 4-H
Abby Stockton, Southern Arkansas University: White County, Agriculture
Ouachita District
Errica Corker, University of Arkansas at Monticello: Bradley County, Agriculture
Kelcy Lamkin, Southern Arkansas University: Hempstead County, Agriculture and 4-H
Kalli Smith, Southern Arkansas University: Sevier County, 4-H
Ozark District
Abby Frizzel, Oklahoma State University: Franklin County, Family and Consumer Sciences
Ashton Lancaster, Arkansas Tech University: Yell County, Agriculture
Chloe Hillian, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville: Washington County, Agriculture
Maggie Powitz, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville: Washington County, Family and Consumer Sciences
Rebekah O’Neal, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville: Benton County, Agriculture
Experiential Scholars Program interns
Water Soil Conservation
Kennedy Chapman: University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
Gweneth Keith-Powell: University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
Aidan Russel: University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
Rural Community and Economic Development
Jacob Easley: University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
Mason Mabry: University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
Myah Hudson: University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Family and Consumer Sciences
Grayce Nelson: University of Central Arkansas
Anaiya Smith: University of Central Arkansas
Extension Animal Science interns
Hannah Dozier: University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
Kate Henderson: University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
Extension 4-H and Youth Development State Office interns
Anne Moll: Southern Arkansas University
Faith Turner: University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center interns
Cece Werth: Hendrix College
Lilly Wittenburg: University of Central Arkansas
Zebulun Wilson: University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College
