The motto of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, "Benefiting Youth and Supporting Education," is evident throughout the Show in high-profile events such as the calf scramble and the junior market auctions, as well as through the millions of dollars in scholarships awarded to deserving students each year. Meanwhile, with no fanfare or acclaim, another group of young people benefits and learns from the Show, quietly making its presence felt to visitors, exhibitors and Show staff. By the time the gates open to the public each morning during the Show, student interns from Texas A&M University and Sam Houston State University are already toiling behind the scenes, applying skills they will use in their future careers.

The various intern programs employ more than 175 students each year in offices throughout the Show. Aside from being a source of extra income, internships allow students to use their skills in a professional setting, meet people already employed in those fields and make valuable professional contacts. In some cases, it can be an eye-opening glimpse into the "real world."

Nowhere was this fact more evident than in the pressroom, where 90 journalism and agricultural journalism majors from Texas A&M University worked long hours to provide live video feeds for the Show-wide video network, to assist with technical support in the audiovisual facilities and to produce more than 125 press releases during the 2000 Show.

Leroy Shafer, assistant general manager; Marketing, Information Systems and Presentations Department, started hiring journalism students for the pressroom internships in 1975 to write press releases and develop photographs in the Show's darkroom. That year, eight students participated. "Prior to 1975, ag students worked as press runners and would relay results to the ad agency's typists," said Shafer.

 

Journalism students like Sharon Priddy are enthusiastic to get hands-on experience by serving as interns during the Show.

Today, press releases written by the students are posted on the World Wide Web and submitted to newspapers around the nation and the appropriate breed magazines. Dr. Douglas P. Starr, professor of journalism, and Dr. Stephen A. Banning, assistant professor of journalism and agricultural education, both at Texas A&M University, were a constant presence in the pressroom, where they helped students adjust to the hectic pace and offered assistance when needed. Banning said the real pressroom experience that students gain while covering stories at the Show is invaluable. "Some students, who have worried about the real world, come out here and find they really like the adrenaline rush and pace of a working pressroom," he said.

What kind of adrenaline rush can a pressroom generate? Imagine the pressure of walking into a class you've never taken, being handed an overview, attending a lecture, talking to the professor and then being told to write a perfect recap of the events by the end of that day. Each day, the interns, some of whom had never seen livestock up close, received assignments to cover various livestock competitions. They attended the events and took careful notes. Afterward, they interviewed the winners and judges, wrote the stories, waited until the stories returned from the editor and then made required changes.

Sharon Priddy, a junior journalism major from Alvin, Texas, said she was a little surprised by the amount of time and work required for one release. "The first show I covered was the Brahman show. I thought I'd watch the show, write a story and spend about an hour on the whole thing. It took seven hours. I had no idea how long judging would take, but after a while, I started to understand and learn what they were looking for." Priddy said the experience taught her quite a bit about how a real pressroom operates. "At first I was a little scared, but I got a lot of really good experience here. If I could get a job doing this, I would."

Because the pressroom internships require a certain skill level, applicants must have an acceptable grade point average and interns writing releases must have passed the journalism course, Media Writing 1. Students meeting those criteria apply for the internship in droves. Banning said the number of students participating in the program rose from 75 in 1999 to 90 in 2000. In addition, approximately 30 applicants were turned away because all shifts had been filled. One reason for the rising popularity of the internships is the opportunity to add work experiences and press clippings to a professional portfolio. "Articles written by these students will be published somewhere, whether it's breed magazines or the hometown newspapers of the livestock winners and owners. This is great for portfolios and has helped students get jobs after graduation," said Banning.

Students from the Texas A&M University Department of Animal Science participate in other Show internships, where they hope to gain practical skills and valuable contacts for life after college. Christian Foster, a senior animal science major from Belton, Texas, worked in the livestock office during the 2000 Show. Foster, one of approximately 35 Aggie animal science interns, returned for her third straight year as an intern, having previously worked with the Open Dairy Cattle and Junior Market Steer competitions. Her duties with the livestock office included administrative tasks, handing out exhibitor passes and tags, stuffing exhibitor packets, and stalling cattle. Taking care of and interacting with the exhibitors required the interns to work several 18-hour days. "The work is hard. There are long days and short nights, but it's so much fun. Plus, as interns, we get to meet people who are tops in the field we want to work in when we graduate," Foster said.

Internships don't benefit just the students. During the Show, staff members and volunteers need help ensuring all events, competitions and operations run smoothly. Interns provide a skilled, motivated and enthusiastic extension of the Show's workforce that helps ensure that even the smallest details are not overlooked.

Since many participating students don't live in the Houston area, their ability to stay in town while they work can be a factor in their decision to participate. For that reason, the Show provides them with accommodations at hotels near the Astrodome complex. "The folks at the hotel were great. They knew who we were and why we were coming in at crazy hours. They treated us really well and made sure our stay was comfortable," Foster said.

Each year, hours after the dust settles from the last Rodeo performance, exhausted student interns walk out the doors, leaving behind an experience they will always treasure and never forget. Priddy said, "If anyone asks me about the program next year, I'd say they should absolutely take part. It's fun, it's rewarding and you get to see the Rodeo!"

Video supervisor Paul Bean, center, taught students how the Show operates behind the scenes. Kali O'Neal and Kelly Payne received experience in the video production facility switching camera shots for the closed-circuit monitors.