Colleen Joseph: Interning on a farm in France

Collen Joseph is a senior majoring in nutritional sciences in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

This summer, I had the unique opportunity to travel abroad to France to study at the University of LaSalle in Beauvais, France, and participate in a month long internship on a farm. The University of LaSalle specializes in agriculture, nutrition, cooking and health.

During my month long stay at LaSalle, I took French classes, integrated cooking and health classes, and experienced so much more with the wonderful and well versed professors from LaSalle.

The opportunities I had at LaSalle were unbelievable, and I could not have been more pleased about what I learned in the program. It was a very hands-on learning experience, and different from anything else I have been involved in at Michigan State.

Along with the classes we took, we also took fieldtrips to farms in the area, to the Palace of Versailles and to Paris. Each trip was very memorable, and I learned so much more than I ever thought I would.

During my second month in France I was placed on a dairy farm for my internship. The internship portion of the program is optional, and students get to choose from a farm, vineyard, restaurant, or R&D research. Since my personal interest is in sustainable agriculture as it relates to food systems, I chose to work on a farm.

While at the internship, I lived and worked with the family I was with. Not only did I learn a lot about dairy farming and farming in general, I also learned so much about the French culture while living with the Beaudoin family.

This was my first experience ever working on a farm, and it was definitely hard work, but it was very rewarding in the end. I formed lifelong relationships with the family I lived with. This was probably one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a nontraditional internship opportunity.

Overall, I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in nutrition, health or food systems and who is looking for a unique and worthwhile experience abroad.