Health and Well-being for Delawareans

• Reese Miller, Human Physiology, University of Delaware

• Gina Crist, Cooperative Extension, University of Delaware

During my time as an Extension Scholar with UD Cooperative Extension this summer, I had the invaluable opportunity to do hands-on work to understand the health and well-being of the Delaware community. Being selected for this role gave me opportunities to create meaningful connections with many people along the way.
Throughout the summer, I actively engaged with the community by helping deliver health programs. I achieved this goal by observing and conducting EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program)  lessons, evaluating and assessing walking program sites, creating educational and nutritional content for SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education) , and participating in community wellness events. These experiences were obtainable by mastering graphic design tools on Canva, utilizing a measuring wheel for assessments, and effectively following a well-designed curriculum by Cornell Cooperative Extension. Prior and newly learned communication skills were harnessed to make this goal a true achievement. Through this experience, I learned eye-opening details about this community. Delivering existing health programs shed light on the vast possibilities that are ahead—not only for Delaware but for my future career path. This experience has solidified my commitment to serving my community (wherever that may be) and I feel so honored to have gained such valuable insights to the health and well-being of Delawareans.
The success of my internship was upheld by many knowledgeable individuals at Cooperative Extension. I’m extremely grateful for Gina Crist, Nancy Mears, Alyssa Whittaker, Kimi Moore, Rachel Murray, and many others.