15
Jun
In case you didn’t know, Southern Valley has an intern for the summer! We are excited to introduce you to Erin Burnett of the unincorporated Pebble City – but we’ll just call it Sale City for those of you not from this area.
Even though she grew up 30 miles from here, Erin never knew Southern Valley was so near her childhood home until, as a recipient of a Southeast Produce Council scholarship, she was able to attend a produce show in Orlando. While there, she got a VIP tour and was introduced to many of the larger suppliers in the Southeast. Because she grew up just down the road from us, her tour guide made a special effort to introduce her to Southern Valley representatives present at the show. Contact information was exchanged and a follow up interview was scheduled and we were thrilled to ask Erin come aboard for several weeks this summer.
Erin is currently entering her third year of college at The University of Georgia this fall, but is set to graduate next summer – at the end of her third year. She is majoring in Agricultural Communications and after graduation plans to start work on her master’s degree next fall. Erin has a long list of accomplishments and achievements during her time at UGA – she is an Honors student, as well as a member of Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority, the Student Alumni Council, Collegiate 4-H, and Block and Bridle. On top of all this, Erin is an Arnold Fellow, which is a unique scholarship within the College of Ag and Environmental Sciences that has allowed her to travel to Uruguay and will help cover the costs of an upcoming semester she is spending as a photojournalism intern in Costa Rica. Additionally, because of a scholarship she received this summer, she was able to travel to South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe to study abroad for the month of May.
Intern Erin Burnett in South Africa
As you can tell, she is a highly qualified and well traveled individual and we count ourselves blessed to have her here with us this summer. Since we are a fully-integrated company, during her time here she will get to see all aspects of the produce industry – from growing, harvesting, and packing to sales and shipping. She will spend time in each different area within the company as well as spend some time working on specific projects catered to her skills and interests. In the coming weeks, we hope to have a couple of guest blog posts from her as well.
We look forward to showcasing her experiences and contributions during her time here with Southern Valley!