Learning and Laughing

Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting our 2013 summer interns as they share stories and anecdotes about their experiences in the “field”.  Please join us in welcoming them to the Farm Credit team.

By: Tiffany Wayland, Summer Intern, Farm Credit of the Virginias.

 

I have heard students talk about how excited they were for their summer internship only to hear that they were stuck in a tiny cubical to complete their project that no one would ever appreciate.  They rarely interact with employees or get to do anything outside of their project. This was my biggest fear, not just as an intern, but in a career I will have to choose once I graduate from college. Luckily, I have been blessed with the opportunity to intern at Farm Credit of the Virginias this summer and I can honestly say those fears have been put to rest.

I have been given the chance to complete a project that allows me to contribute to the association, but it doesn’t tie me down to my desk. I get the privilege of traveling, meeting people, and learning more about the Association. Just last week I attended the AgFirst Intern and New Hire Training in Columbia, SC where I met interns from several Associations within the AgFirst District.

The facilitator, Ronnie Hucks, was able to explain why Farm Credit is so unique and how each Association varies based on several different factors. In addition, learning more about the decisions loan officers make every day and about credit provided me with a better understanding of how Farm Credit works. We were given a mock loan to analyze and then asked to determine whether or not we would loan money to that potential customer. Learning about the patronage refunds was interesting and it reinforced my thoughts about working for such a remarkable Association. I don’t think I could have interned anywhere else this summer and learned as much as I have in the month that I have been here.

Taking on this internship has reinforced something a professor once told me when looking for a career. He told us to make sure that you can contribute, that you can learn and that you can have fun. I have found those three things through Farm Credit and more.

Tiffany, of Sperryville, VA,  is a junior at Virginia Tech where she is majoring in Agribusiness Management. 

Pictured in front of the AgFirst building are the 2013 Farm Credit of the Virginias first year summer interns (from left to right) are Michelle Biser, Maria Martinez, Tiffany Wayland and Megan Virts.