Taylor Fritsch
Our Featured Bucky Intern for this week is Taylor Fritsch. He is a sophomore majoring in Agricultural and Applied Economics and Life Sciences Communication. This past summer he had an internship with the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation as a Public Relations Intern. He grew up on a 700-acre, 70-cow dairy farm near Cobb, Wis. and attended Iowa-Grant High School. He hopes to go into agricultural policy or finance. Here is what Fritsch had to say about his internship and application process.
Q: What things did you do to prepare for getting an internship?
A: I became involved on campus and immersed myself in leadership experiences that grew my skill set and network. I also attended the Agriculture Future of America Leaders Conference, which helped me a lot with my professional development and set the stage for an internship search. I also took advantage of resume and interview workshops offered by CALS Career Services.
Q: What did the process of finding an internship teach you about getting an actual job?
You certainly can’t get discouraged. You may not get the first position you apply for, but it may end up working out for the better. I am confident that no other position I would have taken last summer would have been a better fit for me.
Q: What level of student organizations and/or volunteering did you pursue to enhance your resume and help improve your experience?
A: I’m very involved here on campus. I’m active in Collegiate Farm Bureau, Alpha Gamma Rho, Saddle & Sirloin and Badger Dairy Club. These experiences were not only valuable resume builders, but also provided me with leadership opportunities immediately upon arriving on campus. I truly believe student organization opportunities are one thing that make the “Wisconsin Experience” truly outstanding.
Q: How did these opportunities help you in achieving your career goals?
A: My engagement helped organizations and eventual employers see my track record of success and a strong work ethic. The skills I gained were very helpful as I entered a professional experience last summer.
Q: What did you do at your internship?
A: I worked at the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation as the public relations intern. In this role, I supported the work of the public relations division. I wrote articles for the website and organizational magazine. I also worked with the organization’s social media channels and electronic news briefing among other communications projects.
Q: In what way was your internship valuable to your professional development?
A: My experience taught me a lot about interacting with different people, communicating in a professional environment, and utilizing feedback to better my work. I learned what areas I need to enhance my skills for future workplace success.
I gained exposure to what a career in agricultural communications might look like, especially as it relates to my interest in agricultural policy. Further, I sharpened my skill set in this area. I became a stronger writer, editor of my own work, and a more articulate communicator. These are transferable skills I hope to use in my future internships and career.
Q: What was the most important thing you learned at your internship?
A: Don’t be afraid to take advantage of opportunities that are presented to you. Some of the most valuable experiences I had at WFBF came when I agreed to take on a project not fully knowing how it might go. These experiences helped me to realize new skills and interests of my own.
Q: Do you feel your internship experience was important to your career development and why?
A: Absolutely! The type of experiences I had simply cannot be replicated easily in university classrooms.
Q: Who do you feel was the person that helped you the most in your professional development and why?
This is a challenging question. On campus, I’ve had the advantage of working with a number of advisors who have helped steer me in the right direction and provide feedback. The simple encouragement to get involved with an organization or challenge to take a difficult class I received has helped me get ahead of the curve. Outside of school, I would definitely have to say the public relations team at Wisconsin Farm Bureau. They took a chance on me as a younger candidate and were willing to mentor and provide consistent feedback. Consequently, I owe them a great deal of gratitude.
