AEE Undergrad, Elizabeth Espino, Expands Skill Set to Support Migrant Farmworkers as Agromedicine Institute Intern

As a North Carolina Agromedicine Institute and Cooperative Extension Intern, Elizabeth Espino helps to promote farm safety awareness within the migrant farm community. Her bilingual skill-set has been useful in helping her translate videos, documents, and other resources into Spanish for use in the field. She credits the internship experience for giving her the opportunity to educate migrant workers about COVID-19 and the affects it could have on their day-to-day lives as farmers. Additionally, she has helped them find vaccination centers to stop the spread of the infection.

Her work spans beyond farm safety and COVID-19 awareness; Espino has also helped to create the first Spanish pesticides classes so migrant workers have the opportunity to become certified in pesticides. Her internship has even allowed her to work hands-on with children and migrant workers. Some of her favorite experiences include attending an Agriculture Field at a K-12 school. There, she was able to teach students about farm safety through interactive activities. She’s even helped migrant workers become CPR certified.

“As someone who didn’t have much knowledge or experience in the agriculture industry until I was in high school, learning so much about our industry has been very impactful.”

Espino credits this internship for equipping her with critical communication skills and she believes it has helped her with career development. Getting immersed in projects and work activities with passionate individuals helped Espino enhance her love for agriculture. This opportunity made her aware of the importance of spreading farm safety awareness to farming communities, especially now that agricultural machinery is more advanced. She mastered her skills in video editing, voice recording, translating documents, and managing crowd control when presenting to a group of students or adults. Additionally, she’s gained expertise in working both independently and with students and adults.

Espino says she was exposed to a plethora of agricultural career opportunities while working at the Agromedicine Institute. Her internship experience has shown her endless career opportunities and because of that, she is now debating whether to educate in the classroom setting.

“Having done this internship, I have learned about all the amazing career opportunities through Extension and the Agromedicine Institute, I still plan to major in agriculture education, but I am still debating if I want to educate in the classroom setting.”

She is passionate about educating others about the agriculture industry and plans to return to NC State to embark on her second year as an agriculture education major.

To learn more about the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute and how they strive to promote farm safety visit: https://www.ncagromedicine.org/ . To learn more about NC State Cooperative Extension and NC State Extension resources visit:  https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/.