When the 2011 APHA summer interns arrived at the office six weeks ago, they were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. It’s always refreshing to see their energy and eagerness to learn. And although they are here to gain equine industry knowledge and prepare for what the business world has in store for them, they usually wind up teaching the old dogs a few new tricks during their stay.
This year’s fleet has been no exception. Whether it’s their social media expertise, their knowledge of the latest industry trends or just their fresh perspective on life, they have been a welcome—and very integral—part of the success of the show.
Immediately upon their arrival, they were put to work on various World Show preparations—and they haven’t slowed down since. As the AjPHA Youth World Championship Show wraps up, the Around The World staff caught up with the four interns who have been right in the middle of all the action during the event and asked them to tell us about their experience.
First, let’s introduce everyone.
Janell Baum, APHA’s Marketing intern, joins us from the University of Illinois where she is majoring in Agricultural Communications with an emphasis in advertising. She will graduate in May 2012. Her hometown is Clinton, Illinois. Janell was a member of the Illinois Paint Horse Club and competed at the World Show during her youth career.
Jared Bramer, one of APHA’s two Performance interns, is from Palatine Bridge, New York. However, he spends the majority of his time in Muncie, Indiana, where he attends Ball State University, and is on the equestrian team. He is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication with an anticipated completion date of May 2012. Jared could be spotted during the Show juggling multiple walkie-talkies, clipboards and cell phones.
Kelsey Pecsek is from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and attends Virginia Tech where she was the co-captain of the Western equestrian team. A Communications major, she will graduate after the first Summer 2011 semester, so she will be off into the great, wide open when her internship concludes. Kelsey, our Publications intern, assisted the Paint Horse Journal editorial staff at the Show conducting World Champion interviews and photographing classes.
Keylee Sayler is APHA’s other Performance intern. She is from Casper, Wyoming, and has attended Laramie County Community College for the past two years. She will be attending West Texas A&M University in the fall where she is pursuing a dual degree of Equine Industry/Ag Business and will graduate in 2013. She enjoys competing in Ranch Horse Versatility events.
ATW: Are you enjoying your internship?
Janell: It is certainly what I expected, and I have had a great time learning the ropes at APHA. I feel like I have gotten a taste of everything I have an interest in, including photography, writing, blogging and social media updating.
Jared: I am enjoying my internship very much! I have gained much more than I ever anticipated. The experience I have gained is much more valuable than any dollar could buy, hands down.
Kelsey: Although it is a lot of work, I am loving this experience. This is the job I have always dreamed of having, so the opportunity to work with APHA has been amazing.
Keylee: Yes most definitely! It has been a blast! It has been so much fun learning new things, meeting new people and interacting with the youth.
ATW: What has been your favorite thing about the World Show?
Janell: I love the excitement that World Show offers. There is something really special about youth exhibitors that dream all year of winning a world championship, and then finally achieving their goals.
Jared: Some of my favorite things about the World Show include meeting all the people and horses. This includes all the exhibitors, trainers and interacting with them on a daily basis. Networking within an industry I love so much is very important to me, and being from the east coast it is sometimes more challenging to meet people from other areas of the country. Making everyone feel welcome is my top priority because I realize without them, we would not have a World Show.
Kelsey: My favorite part of World Show has been interviewing the kids. When they walk out of the ring with their new buckle and champion ribbon, you get to see how excited they really are. Afterward, I have had the chance to sit down and get to know them. I think it is so awesome when a little kid gives me a high five when they’re excited about their achievement.
Keylee: My favorite thing about World Show is being able to see the youth achieve their dreams with their trusty steeds. I am so thankful I was given the opportunity to help set up this event that will shape people for the rest of their lives.
ATW: What is the funniest memory you have of the show?
Janell: Zapping the flies in the Media Office with a bug zapper/tennis racket hybrid.
Jared: I would have to say when I was driving our golf cart around during move-in day and accidentally got one of our boxes caught on something as I was driving, which caused our entire load of insulated carry-alls to go flying all over the place like 52 Card Pickup! I admit, I was probably driving a little too fast and driving through areas not meant for golf carts!
Kelsey: I’d have to say just being locked in such close quarters with everyone. We learned to joke and laugh to avoid the tension and stress, so that’s where I’ve gotten my laughs. My favorite memory, however, is when three Youth Walk Trot competitors included me in their fun and gave me hugs and high fives. I felt like I had really made a difference and that the positive atmosphere I helped provide would help keep them interested and involved in AjPHA.
Keylee: Kids say the darndest things! I have to say some of my funniest memories are hearing what the kids have to say. My favorite was on Games and Activities Night in the arena. There were lots of games but, of course, their favorite was the water balloon toss. Since it was their favorite event we left it for last and they played until there were no balloons left. While I was cleaning up the mess in the back, a little boy came up to me and said, “By any chance ma’am do you have any water balloons left ‘cause I would really, really like to have another one, and if I was to get another one, I mean, you would just make my night. You see this is my first time in Texas and I have been having so much fun. If you gave me another water balloon you would make this the best night of my life.” This was the cutest thing I had ever heard! And might I add—the cleverest way for him to get his way!
ATW: From your dealings with them during the show, how would you sum up the youth of AjPHA in one word?
Janell: Colorful.
Jared: Competitive!
Kelsey: Dedicated.
Keylee: Inspiring.
ATW: Do you think your working experience at the World Show will help you in your future career? How?
Janell: The World Show can bring on a lot of stress for everybody, exhibitors and staff alike. It is almost like a crash course in handling many different personalities and being able make everything work. Add on top of that everyone’s crazy schedules and you have the World Show, so I learned a lot. I’m sure in my future career I will be asked to work at or manage special events, so I’m guessing this is just a glimpse into the rest of my life.
Jared: Absolutely! One item that sticks out the most is learning how to solve a wide assortment of problems on the fly, while maintaining a smile and most importantly, a good attitude.
Kelsey: I certainly think it will be an asset to my future career. I want to be an equine journalist, so everything I have learned and done at the World Show has prepared me to be a better journalist in the field.
Keylee: Yes, my experience at the World Show will certainly help me in my future careers. When first applying for the internship, I never knew how versatile it would be. However, once World show started I found myself learning a variety of jobs. This internship has been such a blessing to my life just because of that reason. It has helped me as a person become more versatile to where I can work in almost any setting and be confident that I will do a good job.
As you can see from their responses, and more importantly, from the work they have put in at the show, this is a smart, talented and hard-working group of young folks. We hope you have gotten the chance to interact with one or all of them during the show. And since all of them hope to enjoy careers in the horse or livestock industry, you may well encounter them in the future, as well.
It may seem that the hustle and bustle of the show ends the last day of competition, but the APHA staff will be hard at work wrapping things up for weeks to come. So we are fortunate to have these interns around until the middle of August.
When they leave, they will go back to their routines of everyday life—schoolwork, horse chores, family, friends—but we hope they will look back on their three months at APHA with fondness. We thank them for their hard work and for that special something each one has brought to the show, and to the Association.