Lake Land College GAST Internships
Dear High School Agriculture Educators:
High School students interested in becoming an Agriculture Educator are encouraged to apply for the Lake Land College Growing Agriscience Teachers (GAST) Internship. The purpose of the internships are to provide the students with the opportunity to explore the Agriculture Education field first hand with a supervising secondary agriculture education instructor. During the 6-week internship period, students will perform numerous job shadowing and performance activities in order to learn the duties and tasks of a secondary Agriculture Education teacher.
Selected High School students will be paid at a gross rate of $15/hour for 15 hours/week for the internship during 6 of the 7 weeks between May 11th and June 26th, 2026. (90 hours total) Additionally, students must be at least 16 years of age at the time of application.
If selected, students will be required to meet with Ryan Wildman on the Lake Land College Campus for an orientation meeting, and fill out several items of employee paperwork prior to the internship. These items will need to be delivered in person to the Lake Land College Human Resources Office on the Lake Land College Campus in Mattoon, IL during normal business hours by May 1, 2026. These documents are completed in order to be paid for work experience and receive college credit. Throughout the grant, students are required to complete and submit weekly diaries as well. This internship requires motivated and disciplined students who pay attention to detail in order to complete all necessary requirements in a timely fashion.
Note to Teachers: Students need to be responsible and dependable. By signing the application, you are agreeing to mentor the student for 90 hours of work. If you have any reservations about a student’s ability to complete the mentoring program, please do not recommend the student or complete the application. If you have concerns or questions, please contact Ryan Wildman at rwildman@lakelandcollege.edu or (217)234-5226.
The application is attached and must be completed and returned electronically via e-mail to Ryan Wildman at Lake Land College by Thursday, February 5, 2026. E-mail address information is included on the Application Form. It is planned that individuals selected for the internship will be notified by March 27, 2026. Please feel free to share this information with students whom you feel would benefit from this experience! Thank you for your support!