Today’s guest blog post comes from water resources intern Johanna Rupple. Originally from LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Rupple is majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Agronomy at Iowa State University.
Coming from a small rural town near La Crosse, Wisconsin, having a soil and environmental science background and my own outreach experiences, I assumed I would know everything I would need to know to be a water resource intern with Water Rocks! and Iowa Learning Farms. I am happy and grateful to say I couldn’t have been more wrong!
Water Rocks! and ILF have given me so many unique opportunities to grow more and more as each day goes on. I have learned more about outreach, connecting and being personable with kids, problem-solving, and teaching different ages. With my past outreach jobs, I stayed with ages I was comfortable and content with. Water Rocks! pushed me out of my comfort zone and showed me it is okay to try something new and gain new skills. Through the internship, I have learned much about the benefits of no-till and cover crops, and now I know how impactful those practices are. I am thankful for all the new things I learned in this internship, which will help me in my future career.
The outreach portion of this internship led me to apply as I love outreach, connecting with the students, and teaching them something new. However, I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed the fieldwork aspect of the water resource internship. In the past I worked very corporate jobs that didn’t fit my perspective of what I wanted to do in the future. I have realized sitting behind a desk 9-5 is not my speed. Being out in the field is one of the best experiences I could’ve asked for. Being outside, connecting with nature, and doing research beneficial to Iowa farmlands is an excellent and rewarding feeling. I have learned much about farming practices with this internship and seen those practices in the field. I also enjoy using my soil skills in the field in fun ways!
Conducting earthworm midden counting at one of the relay intercropping demonstration sites in June.
Overall, Water Rocks! and ILF have shown me it is good to try something new and not be afraid of what you don’t know. This internship proved that I would love to do outreach as a full-time job. Therefore, I plan to stick with outreach as a future career endeavor when I graduate next May from Iowa State.
-Johanna Rupple
Iowa Learning Farms 