Ogallala Commons Newsletter: August (Week 2)

“Be Willing”: Terri Hendrix Concert

(left-to right: Lloyd Maines and Terri Hendrix are joined by Logan Samford on stage at the Home Mercantile)

Despite the best efforts and intentions of our Community Interns, only Julie Hodges and Darryl Birkenfeld made it to the Terri Hendrix concert (along with Advisory Council member Andy Wilkinson), held at the Home Mercantile Building in Nazareth, TX on August 14th. However, Terri had looked over the Intern Blog pages in advance, and dedicated a song during her concert to the interns, our program, and to Miss Julie! The song is titled, "Be Willing" and it is recorded on her "Left Over Alls" album from 2009. A verse from the song is truly reflective of Community Internships: "Be willing/To travel far. The answers are/in the Great Beyond. Be willing to open your mind/to all you'll find/in the Great Unknown."

Another cool Intern-thing that happened at the concert was the affirmation that Terri and Lloyd gave to Logan Samford, an aspiring singer-songwriter from Nazareth, who opened the concert with three songs he penned. Though Logan is only a junior in high school, he in already interested in applying for a Community Internship in Summer 2012, that could help him explore and learn about a career as a locally-based musician.

Where Have all the Interns Gone? (Part 2)

This article is the second half of an article written by OC Intern Megan England, which gives the whereabouts of numerous OC Community Intern alumni.

Katie Hancock (’10) of Lubbock, TX graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Communications in December, then began getting her teaching certification in Technology Applications and Agriculture. She is currently working on her Master's in Secondary Education and recently got hired to teach 8th Grade Exploring Careers at Brownfield Middle School (TX). She also plans to continue her photography business on the side of teaching.

Julie Hodges (’10) of Lubbock, Texas is the Owner/Heritage Planning and Environmental Education Consultant for Prairie Workshop, LLC and Education Coordinator for Ogallala Commons. She graduated in August of 2010 with my Master of Science in Heritage Management and her future plans are to continue working with Ogallala Commons and expand her business with her husband, Jason.

Keshian Hoeffner (’10) is a senior in high school at Campo, Colorado and a Certified Nursing Assistant. She will graduate in May of 2012.

Erin Hoelting (’08) left for Peace Corps in July 2009, and is currently wrapping up a two-year stint with an aquaculture project with small farmers in Zambia. She will be returning to Lubbock, TX in October to wrap up and defend her Master's thesis at Texas Tech University by semester’s end.

Shancee Howell (’10, ’11) of Tribune, Kansas graduated from college in May of 2010, and is currently working on her Masters in Agricultural Business at New Mexico State University (Las Cruces, NM).

Kendra Huseman (’10) graduated from high school (Nazareth, TX) and is enrolling at Texas A&M University (College Station, TX).

Catherine Jenkinson (’11) of Sharen Springs, Kansas is a high school senior and will graduate in May of 2012. She then plans attend university to major in some sort of liberal arts.

Tabitha King (’10) recently received a job at Dell as an Epic Healthcare Systems Consultant in the Dallas area.

Weston Nieman ('11) is living in Lubbock, TX after graduating with an MBA from Texas Tech University. He is currently exploring job options and looking for a career in sustainable construction and building.

Scarlett Olsen (’10) of Burdett, Kansas is a senior in high school and will graduate in May of 2012, after which she plans to attend college.

Paige Ownbey (’09) of Campo, Colorado is recently married, is a volunteer firefighter, and currently provides day care services at her alma mater, Campo School, where she is also the assistant high school volleyball coach.

DeLesa Perez (’09, ’10, ’11) of Hart, Texas is currently working on a degree in Advertising and Public Relations at West Texas A&M University (Canyon, TX). She will graduate in 2013, and then plans to move to a city and run a public relations business.

Daniel Ramos (’10) recently graduated from high school (Dimmitt, TX) and has enlisted with the United States Army.

Sarah Reeves (’11) of Munday, Texas, is working on getting a degree in elementary education/pharmacy technician at Midwestern State University (Wichita Falls, TX). She plans to graduate in December of 2012, and if she doesn’t get a job in the spring, she plans to become certified as a pharmacy technician.

Katy Reynolds (’11) of Tribune, Kansas is majoring in Mass Communications at Northwestern Oklahoma State University (Alva, OK) and has a minor in English. She will graduate in December 2011 with her bachelor’s, then plans to complete her Master’s degree and find a job in the Tribune, Kansas area.

Tess Robben (’09) is currently attending school at Fort Hays State University (Hays, Kansas).

Valeria Rodriguez (’09) is majoring in Biochemistry at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school at Texas Tech University.

Alexis Schwarz (’10) is currently attending college at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln, Nebraska), and majoring in Advertising.

Kevin Von Feldt (’10) of Larned, Kansas is a senior in high school. He plans to graduate in 2012 and attend Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.

Kerra Wait (’11) is a high school senior in Pritchett, Colorado. She plans to graduate in 2012 and attend college to study sports medicine, chiropractic medicine, and business. She plans to open her own business after graduating from college.

Kaili Wait (’09) is majoring in Crop Science at Otero Junior College (La Junta, Colorado). In the future, she plans to start a family and work for the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

Clay Wimmer (’10) is presently a high school senior in Abernathy, Texas. He is involved with Future Farmers of America and is working on a ranch. He is interested in soil and water conservation and plans to graduate in May 2012.

Sara Wheeler (’10) is currently beginning her sophomore year studying biology and chemistry at Oklahoma Panhandle State University (Goodwell, OK).

Cara Young (’11) and her husband, Justin, are taking on full-time jobs at High Plains Food Bank and Community Gardens in Amarillo, Texas upon the completion of her internship.

Intern Profile: Delissa Villa Hello everyone,
My name is Delissa Villa. I am from Tulia, TX and attend St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. I am an international business and marketing major and will be graduating in May of 2012. This will be my third summer interning through Ogallala Commons. I am very grateful for the opportunity I’ve had in working with OC...I’ve learned a lot and have grown to value my rural community.

This summer I carried out a one-month marketing internship. I interviewed different business owners in Plainview, Texas, learned about the marketing department at Soil Mender Products, LP, in Tulia, TX, and worked with Casa del Llano, a small nonprofit organization in Hereford, Texas.

The entrepreneurs that I interviewed have been very successful in their businesses and here are some key lessons I learned were: what inspired them to start the business, marketing techniques, and how they are successful in rural communities. These interviews provided valuable information that I will use in the future when I open up my own business. I would like my business to focus on “health education”. With the growing rates of obesity in the United States, there is a need to educate. In my community, I believe there is a particular need in educating Hispanic women. My ideal business would incorporate healthy cooking classes, fitness classes, and health education classes.

Intern Profile: Weston Neiman
My name is Weston Neiman and I grew up in Junction, Texas. I went to college at New Mexico State University where I earned a Bachelors of Business Administration and played football. After NMSU, I decided to further my education by attending Texas Tech, and graduated with my MBA last December. I am now trying to make the transition into a meaningful career, and in doing so, I was referred to an Ogallala Commons Internship by my sister. The weekend I graduated, all of my family was up in Lubbock. After my graduation, I went snowboarding in Colorado and somehow my parents set up a tour with Darryl. The first couple of months after my graduation, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and decided I was interested in sustainable building. That's when it clicked for my sister, and how I ended up as an OC Community Intern this summer.

My whole life I have been interested in sports and hunting. I am very competitive and if you want to motivate me, turn the task into a game and you will be surprised at how much more productive I am. I grew up very connected to the earth and being respectful of our resources. My parents started a small business called Native American Seed that sells only native wildflower and grass seeds to landscapers, government projects, and individuals.

During my internship I met so many people and made so many connections in the sustainable development world. I feel like this internship has been a little blessing in the disguise of a little bit of work…I am very grateful for…the learning experiences and friends I made along the way.

Intern Profile: Adan Peña
My name is Adan Peña, but everyone just calls me Adam. I was born in Dimmitt, Texas and raised in Nazareth, Texas. My parents’ names are Joann and Gilbert Pena. I have two sisters: April and Angelica, and a cousin who was raised in my household named Ramon. I am bilingual--fluent in Spanish and English. I recently graduated from high school in 2011. I am [going to] attend Baylor University in the fall and double major in Economics and Philosophy

I was asked by Dr. Darryl Birkenfeld to participate in this internship and was very excited to join. Although this is my first year, this internship has done a lot of good in our small community. I [have done] many projects, such as: helping my community with a weekly salad, helping another intern with a cemetery history project, and [improving] on a community map. I [even got] my first experience with planting a garden, and launching a new blog for our “Swift Kicks” or our community news.

In my spare time, I enjoy being with my family, reading the bible, playing video games, and living this gracious gift called life to the fullest.

The OC internship was definitely a great way to end my senior summer in my small community. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if anyone would benefit from my summer internship; I came to discovery that I benefitted from the internship most of all.