Internship Location: Joliet IL
Organization Type: Local Government
Policy Areas: Housing, Social Services, Environment
I learned a wide range of things throughout this internship, but to put it broadly, I learned how policy making and execution works at the local government level. I’ve only taken one class with La Follette prior to this internship, but I learned a lot about social programs like TANF and SNAP that I saw referenced or used in my work here. It also taught me the general process of how these policies function. The thing that surprised me the most was the wide range of work that the department does. From waste analysts and renewable natural gas (RNG) plant project managers to historic preservationists and community planners, the department provides a great deal of services to the county we work in. The most valuable thing to me was the exposure to so many disciplines. I would absolutely recommend this internship to anyone interested in the field, especially if you don’t know what part you want to play in the process of public policy. Everyone here is clearly passionate about the work they do, and their passion led to great conversations of how they ended up in the position they are in, and why they chose it. I knew I was passionate about urban planning, but I did not fully understand where that piece fit into the puzzle. I now have a much better understanding of how the process functions, and I hope to use that to find internships or job opportunities that better match my interests and skill sets in the near future.