From interns to employees, UK Extension creates a path to success

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 8, 2025) — The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, part of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, welcomes students from across campus, the state and the nation to its summer Extension internship program.

UK Extension interns have the unique opportunity to spend 12 weeks in a county office. Interns shadow UK Extension agents, getting hands-on experience, building connections and learning the ins and outs of a professional work environment. The internship program creates pathways into many careers, particularly in extension — a choice many past interns have made.

Last summer, Colby Dye was an intern in Warren County. This year, after graduating from UK in December 2024, he became the agriculture and natural resources agent in Allen County.

“My internship prepared me for the role that I am in today,” Dye said. “I really got an introduction into what we do in extension.”

UK alum Christy Stearns also began her extension career in 1996 as an intern in Bourbon County. Having held roles as a 4-H agent in Fayette County and a family and consumer sciences agent in Clinton County, Stearns’ internship taught her the importance of collaboration among program areas.

“What I did as a summer intern really did impact my ability to be a longer-tenured, successful extension agent,” Stearns said.

Many in UK Extension administration got their start as interns. Raven Ford, the area extension director for the east region, interned in Hart County in the summer of 1999 and in Edmonson County in the summer of 2000, while a student at Berea College.

“The best part of working as an intern is that I was able to get a feel of extension,” Ford said. “I did not grow up in extension, so just being able to learn about the different program areas, being able to learn about the connections they made in the community, was one of the best parts.”

Ford’s journey from extension outsider to leader started with her internship. Her experience not only helped her choose a role as a 4-H agent in Rowan County for 19 years, but also her current position.

“The internship program, I would say, is one of the greatest programs we have,” Ford said. 

Kenny Burdine, UK alum, extension livestock economist and interim assistant program leader for agriculture and natural resources, was in the same internship year as Ford, spending the summer of 1999 in Woodford County. 

“That summer was very transformative to me,” Burdine said. 

Burdine, like many others, didn’t know what to expect when becoming an intern, but the experience led him to his current career.

“There are people I met in Woodford County in 1999 that I still talk with in 2025,” Burdine said. “I think that speaks to how impactful this internship program can be.”

In 2025, UK Extension welcomed a new class of interns, all eager to learn. This internship attracts students from universities across the Commonwealth and from beyond Kentucky’s borders.

Danielle Rinker, a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a Virginia 4-H alum and a Franklin County Extension Summer 2025 intern, developed a program on equine. She led a group of 4-H youth on an equine industry day tour in Lexington, visiting Keeneland, Mill Ridge Farm and Spy Coast Farm.

“I’ve worked in extension in Virginia and in Tennessee,” Rinker said. “I really liked to see what a third state’s extension looked like, and I knew Kentucky had a really heavy equine presence, which is one of my passions.”

Rinker and many others in this year’s internship program are putting their passions to work, developing projects that impact their county. From growing heirloom bean seeds at the UK Robinson Center to hosting livestock day camps, community clean-ups and more, this newest batch of students is following in the footsteps of the past interns.

The application for Summer 2026 is open now and is due by Oct. 31. Learn more at https://ces-personnel.mgcafe.uky.edu/internship-program.