Sara Salisbury, a Health Studies major, recently interned for Taylor Farms-Food Safety and Quality Assurance. Read on to learn about her experience!
What projects did you work on as part of this internship ?
During my internship I was able to gain hands-on experience in food safety and quality assurance, including rapid cooling, effective rinsing, QA evaluations and environmental swabbing. I also conducted fieldwork involving ranch inspections, water sampling, pest management and listeria outbreak investigation. Lastly I worked on extending product shelf life and identifying defects in the R&D department.
What is the best part of your experience?
The best part of my experience was meeting new people within the company and what their career path looked like. So many people I met thought they would go in such a different route from where they are now which I thought was so interesting. I felt so lost before my internship but when I was able to talk to others about their career experiences it really helped me keep an open mind the whole summer!
What are you most proud of in completing this internship?
I am most proud of stepping out of my comfort zone. This internship was in a town where I didn’t know many people and not too close to home, which can be hard. I also wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do before this internship so I am proud of myself for venturing out to find something I loved.
What tip(s) do you have for students who are applying for or completing internships?
Always keep an open mind and never be afraid of learning new things. You never really know what you love until you try it and step out of your comfort zone!