mano-Y-ola believes in supporting the future of agriculture through the talent development of Hispanic students in two distinct internship programs. Our company’s partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has directed our growth in the field of talent development. We first started the talent development program in 2018 with our Travel Internship where we placed college students in various NRCS field offices. During this Travel Internship, our interns spent their summers gaining valuable work experience and exposure to the world of agriculture. Since that year, we have hosted annual summer Travel Internships, and in 2020, we expanded to include a virtual internship in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Virtual Internship, interns complete a curriculum developed by our company designed to educate them on the basics of natural resource conservation, data and entrepreneurship, leadership, and how to navigate the professional world as young future conservationists.
Building a successful approach to enhance USDA-NRCS's Hispanic outreach and increasing the agency's bilingual, professional talent pool are two endeavors that mano-Y-ola knows how to do well. Our priority is to extend the agency across Hispanic communities, counties, and states. Internships at mano-Y-ola give students a unique opportunity to make connections with USDA-NRCS offices, opening doorways to potential, future employment.
How Our Internship Works
What to Expect in Our Selection & Onboarding Process
Announcement
Join Us as We Change the Face of Hispanic Agricultural Presence across the United States
Internships Available
Travel Internship
Discover our Travel Internship, where Hispanic agricultural students like you can gain real-world, professional experience in NRCS field offices across the United States and Puerto Rico.
*Locations (10) | Full-Time | Paid
*The locations can be in North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Indiana, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico. NRCS officials to choose upon review of interns selected by the mano-Y-ola team.
Cultivar Learning Network Virtual Internship
Discover our Virtual Internship, where Hispanic agricultural students like you receive training in natural resources conservation and agribusiness as well as coaching on leadership and professionalism, and then implement what they have learned on a local farm in Puerto Rico.​
Virtual | Part-Time | Paid
Project Achievements
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TESTIMONIALS
“First of all, I would like to give a massive thanks for this wonderful opportunity. I really enjoyed it, and it was a great space to learn more about different career paths and opportunities.”
– Julian Lamadrid, Traveling Hispanic Outreach Ambassador 2022
“Muchas, muchas gracias! Virginia NRCS will continue to fully support the mano-Y-ola program. Please count on our support at the field, area, and state levels. By the way, we have a full-time Soil Conservationist (Javier Medina-Sanchez) who was part of your program, and we hired him last year via DHA. He is doing very well. Looking forward to more interns and eventually bringing additional mano-Y-ola candidates on board as full-time employees here in VA or anywhere around the nation.”
– Edwin Martínez, State Conservationist, USDA-NRCS, VA
“The most important lesson I'm taking with me is to do things even when I'm most afraid because it will end up being the most rewarding thing."
– Cultivar Learning Network Intern