Introduce the organization you are interning for. What do they do and what will you be doing for them?

I am interning for the City of Phoenix Public Works Department, in the Solid Waste division. Public Works includes garbage services, recycling and diversion, sustainability, design and construction management, and education and outreach. I am working in Solid Waste, which includes recycling programs, call center, billing, and routing, among other services. Public Works is a large department that takes up two floors in City Hall.

I am an administrative intern. Here is my official position description: 

The purpose of this internship is to conduct independent and directed research 

and program development related to sustainability initiatives specific to the Solid 

Waste Division of the Public Works Department. Work requirements normally 

have division-wide impact and at times may involve other city departments, City 

Council and/or the City Manager’s Office. The intern must demonstrate high 

initiative and judgment and will provide professional level staff assistance to the 

department. 

I had a meeting with John Trujillo, Assistant Director of Public Works. The other intern and I discussed our strengths, skills, and interests and what we would like to do in our internship. We will both be working on various projects. With my interest in the politics of public policy, I hope to sit in on some City Council meetings and do work developed to policy within the Solid Waste division. I also expressed some interest in using data-crunching skills that I am acquiring through my classes in my internship. 

I look forward to learning a great deal about city government and contributing to sustainability within the City of Phoenix.