— Julie Stricker
The NextGen Internship Program is designed to introduce students to food and agricultural careers. With 14 interns placed across 10 diverse host sites, students ranging from college freshmen to Ph.D. candidates are engaging in hands-on experiences that span field research, marketing and communications, customer service, pest management, education and more.
This internship program is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s national NextGen initiative, which aims to build a skilled, diverse workforce for the future of agriculture. In addition to paid internships, the program offers competitive scholarship opportunities to help students continue their education in the food and agriculture enterprise career field.
The summer 2025 NextGen interns are:
Teak Barhaug is a 19-year-old student at UAF who is pursuing an interdisciplinary degree in greenhouse entrepreneurship. He is interning with the Future Farmers of America Foundation in Palmer. “As an FFA alumnus and former state officer, it is a pleasure to be involved with FFA again,” Teak said. His internship involves recruiting sponsors and providing support to the association, as well as creating coaching guides for competitions and translating the FFA creed into different languages.
Amber Bratlie, a sophomore majoring in business administration, is also working for the FFA Foundation. “This is my first year working with FFA, and I am excited to get started,” she said. Amber will be developing and distributing newsletters, managing social media content, and assisting in the creation of materials for competitive events.
Nathanael Brunken is from Oahu, Hawaii, and studies natural resources and the environment at UAF, where he also works on research projects in controlled-environment greenhouses. “I am especially interested in hydroponics and plant physiology,” he said. Brunken is interning at Kamananui Cacao Orchards, a chocolate farm, helping with the harvest, watering and cleaning.
Emily Faulkner is from North Pole, Alaska, and is a NextGen intern for Alaska FFA while finishing up her degree in culinary arts and hospitality at UAF. After graduating, she plans to pursue a degree in agricultural education with the goal of becoming an agriculture teacher in Alaska.
Charles Flint grew up in Fairbanks, where his love for plants and the outdoors took root in his grandparents’ vegetable garden. “After working in office roles for many years, I’ve been eager to shift toward more hands-on, community-based work that is focused on sustainability,” he said. A UAF student and NextGen intern with RurAL CAP, Fint has been helping care for Boyer’s Orchard, a nonprofit apple orchard in Anchorage, while learning more about local food systems.
Remy Gray is a third-year biology student at UAF who is interning at the Matanuska Experiment Farm and Extension Center in Palmer. “My work focuses on insect studies involving cabbages and cover crops, as well as general field and plant maintenance,” she said.
Jennifer Hoppough is pursuing a Ph.D. with a focus on food security and sustainability within Alaska’s culinary ecosystem. She is chief of faculty affairs and services at the UAF Office of the Provost and has more than 20 years of experience in academia and the workforce and has earned multiple advanced degrees and certifications in her career. Hoppough is interning with OneTree Alaska at UAF.
Irina Koval is a UAF junior pursuing a degree in business administration with concentrations in marketing, foreign languages and international relations. Koval is interning at the Alaska Flour Company, where she leads content creation across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook/Meta and other platforms. With a passion for food security and a background in global market research, Koval combines creative storytelling with strategic marketing to promote locally grown Alaska products and to position Alaska Flour Company as a model for sustainable, community-driven business.
Maggie May is a second-year student in the combined MA/MFA program in creative writing and literature at UAF, where they specialize in ecohorror and climate fiction. May is an award-winning writer. In 2025, they won the Harold McCracken Award for Outstanding Writing About Alaska and the North Country. At UAF, May is working on a collection of science fiction short stories and an ecohorror novella, both set in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Alaska. May is interning at Calypso Farm in Fairbanks.
Moxie Moxie is from the rural Alaska village of New Stuyahok. He is a sophomore at UAF studying business management. Moxie is interning with RurAL CAP, which works to improve the quality of life for low-income Alaskans. Moxie is helping with Farm-to-School programs, gardening with various community members, and orchard and food forest projects.
Nathen Scott is pursuing a chemistry degree at UAF, where he is specializing in environmental chemistry with a focus on soil, water and contaminant systems. “My academic interests lie in applying chemistry to real-world environmental challenges, particularly those affecting land use, water quality and public health in northern regions,” he said. His long-term goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in environmental chemistry, focusing on applied research that is relevant to agriculture and plant-soil interactions. Scott is interning with Alaska Harvest Collaborative.
Shaheena Shahid is pursuing a doctorate in Indigenous studies and sustainability at UAF. She holds two master’s degrees, is fluent in six languages and was a Fulbright Scholar and a Gilman Scholar. She trained teachers without borders at the Federal University in Brazil and has traveled in 55 countries. Shahid is director of the Multilingual Learners Program in the Fairbanks school district and, as an educator, has taught courses that include such topics as climate change, English as a second language, race, class and gender, human rights and cultural competency. She is interning with Alaska Harvest Collaborative.
Tori Shoemaker has a degree in environmental change and society from UAF and is pursuing an MBA with a concentration in fisheries management and climate change. She is interning at Georgeson Botanical Garden, where she is managing community outreach, learning about plant cultivation and coordination, and getting her hands dirty in the garden.
