Interning at a Kettle Farm
The first thing I noticed when visiting the Little Muskingum Kettle Farm was how peaceful it was. Located out towards Reno, OH in the Appalachian Hills, the farm is an oasis on the side of the country road. I had the chance to interview the owner and high school internship host, Caroline Perruci, and her intern, Warren student Tessa Haffner.
The second thing I noticed, as I watched Caroline and Tessa work together, was how comfortable they were with each other. I could tell immediately that Caroline and Tessa enjoyed each other. They enjoyed the work they were doing and the business they were building. That feeling of peace and contentment stayed throughout my time there.
Caroline started Little Muskingum Kettle Farm in 2020, shortly after the COVID pandemic hit. It wasn’t her first career, however. She earned a degree in aerospace engineering from the Naval Academy in 2011 and completed five years of military service as a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps stationed in Mississippi, California, and Africa. She also completed a year of service through AmeriCorps in Montana, was a substitute teacher, and even volunteered on a farm in Israel. Ultimately, she decided to return to her first love- farming.
Tessa Haffner is a junior at Warren High School. She isn’t sure what’s next, although she knows that she would like to be a small business owner at some point. “I can see you being good at that.” Caroline affirms as Tessa shares her thoughts on her future.
Tessa and Caroline were brought together by an environmental economic internship opportunity, offered through BB2C and Rural Action. The paid spring internships allow high school students to complete 50 hours of service over ten weeks with a business that works with the environment, agriculture, or ecotourism. While they were both new to internships, neither were new to BB2C. Both Tessa and Caroline had participated in our Real World Problem Scenario program in the past, and both scenarios involved agriculture.
Agriculture was again the star in this spring’s internship opportunity, which allowed Tessa and Caroline to weed, seed, package, and work on the backside of the business together. They tackled both spreadsheets and spring cleaning. Tessa shared that, often, the best part of her day was coming to her internship.
When I asked her about becoming an intern, Tessa thoughtfully replied, “There are so many opportunities out there. If you look for them and talk to people, you’ll find ones that interest you.” Reflecting on the experience so far, she added, “It gives you a taste of what you think you might like without the long-term commitment of a school or a job.”
Caroline also provided positive feedback on hosting an intern. “Interns are the next generation of thinkers. They’ll have ideas you don’t have. It helps to have a different perspective on what you should be doing as a business owner. Having the right intern is motivating and inspiring and reminds you why you do it. It keeps you from being in a bubble.” Caroline added, “I’m so impressed that our community has a program like this. You hear about AmeriCorps opportunities for those 18 and over. But to have a structured experience that is paid and formalized for youth is amazing.”
If your business is interested in hosting a high school intern, or you know a high school student interested in being an intern, contact Hunter Warsinsky, Placement Coordinator, at hwarsinsky@bb2careers.org.