EXTENSION NEWS — Teens as Teachers and New Audience 4-H Interns

Shemsa Ndahiro, Valerie Gabel and Jeraysha Shakelford. Not pictured: Diana Laam.
Shemsa Ndahiro, Valerie Gabel and Jeraysha Shakelford. Not pictured: Diana Laam.

Each summer, student interns join the 4-H staff at Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County and provide much needed assistance. In addition to three full-time interns helping with ongoing summer programming (introduced in the July Nebline), this year, four interns will assist Extension Educator Tracy Anderson with 4-H outreach and education.

• Diana Laam and Jeraysha Shakelford are part-time interns through the 4-H Teens as Teachers program. Their focus is on engaging new Lancaster County audiences through hands-on 4-H activities in areas such as STEM and Home Environment. Diana and Jeraysha are new to the 4-H community and will be juniors at Lincoln High this fall.

• Shemsa Ndahiro and Valerie Gabel are full-time interns focusing on engaging new Lancaster County audiences through hands-on 4-H activities in areas such as STEM and nutrition & health. Shemsa is a Rwandan scholar at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She is studying Integrated Sciences with a focus on Nutrition and Health Sciences and a minor in Leadership and Communication. New to 4-H, she is looking forward to gaining experience working with youth on different projects. Shemsa hopes to go back to Rwanda and make a difference in her community tackling nutrition issues. Valerie Gabel was a Lancaster County 4-H member for 11 years and is now pursuing a Bachelor of Education and Human Sciences degree at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a minor in Coaching and Special Education. This summer, Valerie wants to get as much experience as possible, so she is ready to teach 1st or 2nd grade when she graduates.