Watching all of our hard work being put into Junior Nationals made a great week for all three of us. We greatly enjoyed out time, working with the Juniors, working with Jr. Board and being part of 2022 National Junior Shorthorn Show!

As may of us have, all three of us grew up in the cattle industry- and all three have a uniquely different experience. Growing up in different states heavily influenced this, but being at Shorthorn and preparing for Junior Nationals, thinking about what’s all going to happen- has made us all think of our own showing experiences & we thought we would share!

We hope you enjoy our agriculture facts and maybe learn something new about our states and what they bring to the dinner table!
– Lily, Sara, Regan

After meeting and living together for almost three weeks now, all of us interns always make dinner and talk together and of course the subject of agriculture came up! We all agreed on how big of a part agriculture played in our lives and how we would not be here today without it, of course we have to brag about it. All three being from different states led to a lengthy discussion of what our different states bring to the table and how our families and friends play their part in it!

Week two of our internship has started off strong and get to ready to learn some new things about ASA 2022 Summer Interns

We are so excited to be at the American Shorthorn Association this summer!

It’s our last day in the office (we know, we’re sad about it too). We just wanted to take some time to reflect on our summer and give a final farewell in our last blog post. Thank you, ASA, Juniors, and parents, for an incredible 2021 junior nationals, it was a memory we won’t forget.

My time at the ASA has come to an end, and I’m truly going to miss this office atmosphere and the amazing ASA staff. I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity provided to me by the ASA. This internship was truly rewarding, and I was able to gain so much from this. I got to get exactly the experience I had hoped for, and I gained knowledge I am going to use for the rest of my college career and I’m my future job. Shelby, thank you for being such a great supervisor. I honestly don’t think that this internship would be the same if you weren’t the one in charge. If you are a communications student, and you need an internship experience, this is an amazing opportunity, and you should definitely apply for summer 2022! I can’t wait to see where the future takes me!

As my time working for the American Shorthorn Association comes to a close, I want to say thank you to the ASA staff for being so welcoming and helpful. I have loved my time getting to know the staff, breeders, and juniors involved in the shorthorn breed. This summer has truly been a great learning experience; about the breed, myself, and putting on a junior national. I hope to see many of you again in the future; don’t be a stranger! While I am sad to leave the association after a wonderful two and a half months, I am excited to see where my future takes me.

As I finish my last day being the Youth Activities Intern, with the American Shorthorn Association, I want to take the time to thank the association for being so great. The people, the atmosphere; all of it has been a blessing in more ways than I can describe. I will forever cherish the last two and a half months: the connections I have made, and the friendships I have developed with my fellow interns! I am sad to leave but am excited for my future endeavors. Thank you all for this wonderful opportunity to work with such great breeders, youth, and staff. I hope to see everyone sometime in the future; if we cross paths, don’t be a stranger, as I always enjoy a little small talk! 

Again, thank you to everyone that helped us throughout the summer. We appreciate every single one of you, and we hope you all have a great rest of the summer. We are going to miss the office, but we hope to see everyone sometime in the future!

Today in the office, we decided we would put together a potluck lunch. The interns selected a recipe from the 2021 junior nationals Beef Cook-Off Contest, and everyone else brought a side dish/dessert to enjoy along with it!

The recipe that we selected from the cook-off was actually the champion recipe. It was presented by the state of Indiana and is called Philly Cheese Steak Quesadillas; the recipe is provided below! As for everyone else in the office, they opted to bring a side dish of their choosing. Wade made for us a Sassy Salsa and cheese dip. Shelby made us some Frito Corn Salad, Heather made some Spanish Rice, Montie “made” us some Waldorf Salad, and Cassie brought a homemade S’mores Cheesecake for a dessert!

Philly Cheesesteak Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• 2 Medium Tortillas
• ½ lb shaved Ribeye
• ½ chopped onion
• ½ diced red pepper
• ½ diced green pepper
• 6 oz. diced mushrooms
• 1 T light olive oil
• 3 slices provolone cheese
• 1 garlic clove minced
• ¼ t sea salt
• 2 t mayonnaise

Directions:

• Cook shaved ribeye with 2 t oil, salt + pepper, in a skillet. Once fully cooked, remove from skillet.
• Sautee onion, peppers + mushrooms in the same skillet until tender. Adding 1 t of oil if needed
• Add Ribeye + Garlic into skillet.
• Spread mayo on tortillas
• Add filling to ½ of each tortilla, top filling with provolone + fold the tortilla 
• Place tortilla in a skillet with oil over medium heat. Sautee until the cheese is melted + outside is golden + crisp, flip once. 
• Slice, serve & enjoy! 

It was a great day for those of us here at the ASA office to spend some time together and enjoy good food and good conversation. We loved these Philly Cheese Steak Quesadillas, and we are excited to see what everyone comes up with for next years Beef Cook-Off Contest with the new cut of meat!

Goal setting is an important part of life. When you make a goal, ultimately you would like to achieve it. There are different types of goals, short-term goals, and long-term goals. How we choose to reach these goals is dependent on who we are as a person and what helps us to stay organized and keep us on track. Since our time here at the American Shorthorn Association is coming to a close, we (the interns) thought that we would tell you a little bit about our goals over the next year.

Michelle:

What are my goals for the year to come? That is a loaded question. The next year is going to be a big step, in terms of school and work. My plan as of now is to be graduating from Oklahoma State University in May with my Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Communications and hopefully starting my very first full-time job. If anyone reading this is new to college this year, I definitely recommend taking advantage of clubs and other activities going on, on campus. They are a great way to meet new people and make friends that you will likely have even after you graduate. Among the goals I have this year is to excel academically. I plan to do this by keeping organized and having a schedule that includes study time. The second important goal for me is to find a job that will essentially kick off my career. Tools that will help me to achieve that goal are to gain experience, and that is one thing that this internship has no doubt provided me. I am so glad to be returning to a fully opened university this fall, now that we are somewhat pandemic-free. I will be sad to leave Kansas City and all of the amazing Shorthorn staff but I am glad to have met everyone and to have had this experience.

Amelia:

My goals and aspirations throughout the course of the last year and a half have not necessarily changed, the only thing that has truly changed is the course in which it is taking me to reach them. I am very excited to start my fall semester back at Kansas State University, with all in-person classes. As a young college student, it has been very difficult to get everything out of, not only my education but my whole college experience with the troubled times we have faced in the last year and a half. However, like many other students my age, I have made the most of it: still applying myself to create opportunities for my future by getting a job within the university, applying for internships, and landing this one, as well as becoming involved with clubs, amidst the pandemic. The past year has taught me more than any other year combined. It may not have been materialistic lessons, but it has been lessons worth more than any academic degree ever could. It has taught me to never take time for granted, to never underestimate anything, additionally, it has taught me to never give up on anything, no matter the journey. That being said, my goals for the future are to continue my journey at Kansas State University and continue the path that He has carved for me. I have many goals to reach for within my major, within the clubs I am active in, as well as personal growth goals for myself. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer and takes the time to spend time with their loved ones!

Bella:

As my time at the American Shorthorn association is coming to an end, my academic career isn’t far behind. I will be a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this upcoming year, finish up my degree in Agricultural Communications. Being a senior, I have started to think about my future career. I hope to get a job post-graduation working in outreach and education for an agriculture company. This will require networking and communication throughout the next year. I am so excited to see where my future goes. I have learned a lot about adaptability and perseverance this last year and a half. As a college student, my world was turned upside down when my university closed due to COVID, as well as most classes switching to online for this past school year. But it gave me the skills and initiative to work on my own, get things accomplished, and accept change with grace. My main goals for the near future are to continue my education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating with a B.S. in Agricultural Communications, and continue to be resilient in all of my future endeavors. I hope everyone enjoys these last few weeks of summer!

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This week we created a fun little quiz to see who knows us the best! The answers to these questions have all been answered in previous blogs, but try not to peek! Have fun, and let us know how you did!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/mln2017/who-knows-us-best-3wtpwobu0f

-Amelia, Michelle, and Bella