Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
I see it as a great opportunity to learn, network, and make a difference in the community.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
I get to meet people with different backgrounds and learn from them. The working environment itself is great since I get to engage myself at the local level.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
I started my internship in hopes of learning how services were carried out, not only for the regular events throughout the city, but the inaugural San Jose Cycling Classic; one of the biggest cycling events of the year. A big part of my role was being the assistant volunteer coordinator. Some of the cool projects I did consisted of making fliers, scheduling volunteer hours, and working on volunteer information. I also designed and put together the PowerPoint presentation and handbook for volunteers, assigned volunteers to positions and worked alongside my supervisor and the volunteer director in mapping out the registration process for volunteers.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
The Office of Cultural Affairs has such a supportive and friendly staff. I learned a great deal from them whether it was me asking questions, them giving me advice, or me shadowing them in the work they carried out. It was an amazing experience to be behind the scenes and getting hands on experience of what event coordinators do for the community.  

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
 My internship at the City of San José is in collaboration with AmeriCorps VISTA.  The AmeriCorps website lists numerous programs that relate to community outreach all over the United States.  I wanted to involve myself with a program that would benefit the community and allow me to utilize the skills that I had developed in music business, and college.  Doing fundraising, community outreach, and event coordination for Project Homeless seemed to be a perfect fit with my past experiences and future ambitions.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
I appreciate being a first hand witness to city change and having the ability play a part in the process. In addition, the Housing Department environment is incredibly homely and fun.  I’m honored to work side by side with people who have made and continue to achieve such great accomplishments.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
While I have only been employed for two weeks, I have been researching various awesome projects that the City of San José has worked on. I anticipate aiding and developing various progressive projects.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
I’ve enjoyed visiting various homeless encampments and informing the people of the options that various city shelters and organizations can provide for them.  

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
San José is my life, it’s all I know.  I was born and raised in San José, attending SJSU, and see a bright future for myself in this big city.  I also wanted to put what I had learned in school into real life situations. It also provides me with valuable job experience and…. I get free parking, which is perfect for school also!

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
I love working at the City of San José mainly because of the great cast of people that surrounds me.  My department consists of people that are very intelligent, hardworking, professional, and humble.  Everyone here is a family and is willing to support you in any way possible.  Also, the other thing I like working at the City Hall is I can wake up everyday knowing that if I work hard enough, a difference can be made.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
I will be trying to find the service gaps for the homeless, in the Santa Clara County through research, and interviews, and offer practical solution for these gaps.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
Working in the Homeless division, I see a different side in society that I was never exposed to.  One of the most memorable experiences so far would have to be going to homeless encampments.  We found many encampments that are hidden from society’s views that are located deep in creeks.  This has opened up my eyes to the world that is often shunned from society.  Now more than ever, I want to make a change that can help all homeless people find housing, because nobody deserves to sleep outside in the cold.   

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
I am very interested in working in public service for a career. I’m not completely sure in what capacity I will be accomplishing this goal but I feel like this is a good place to figure that out. I am also thinking of attaining a Masters Degree in Public Policy and what better place to learn about that than in a workplace where I’m surrounded by people who are in that field.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
I enjoy working with people who are both enthusiastic and passionate about what they do. I feel like other peoples’ attitudes rub off on me, so being surrounded by hard working individuals on an every day basis is a huge advantage for me.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
I have only been here for about 2 weeks so far so I haven’t been able to sink my teeth into anything yet. However, one of the main projects I will be working on in this upcoming year is a large scale documentary on homelessness in San José. My main objective with this film will be to dispel myths about those who are homeless so that the general public may be able to change their opinions and attitudes about the homeless situation and how we might fix it.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
The other day we went to the memorial service for the homeless who have died on the streets within the last year. It is good to know that people care enough to set up a service for people who didn’t get many chances in life. It was also difficult to be there around the many family members and friends who were grieving for their loved ones. It was an important day for many.

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
Most of my previous work experience was customer service related, and I wanted to gain some experience in my chosen field prior to graduating.  The internship seemed ideal because I’d be reviewing a large variety of projects in geologic hazard, and because I wouldn’t need to reduce my course load, since City Hall is right across the street from SJSU.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
I’ve worked on a number of projects since coming to The City, ranging from retaining walls, swimming pools, and home additions to gas stations, retail buildings, and hotels, to name a few.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
I’m learning a lot about geologic hazards, documenting them, and risk mitigation, especially in the standards necessary for proper, approvable documentation.

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
I decided to do my intership with the CSJ becuase they have a very good program in alliance with San Jose State University's MPA program; enabling interns to apply theory to practice.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
It is a good organization with vast resources.  In a way it is hubb of learning for someone entering into public service for the first time.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
I have been part of a neighborhood outreach effort to get more residents involved in their local community.  As a result of the outreach, we have been able to reach over 200 new households and organized various group meetings to get neighbors involved in their local community.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
I had one day where for half of the day I was able to go door to door knocking within one of the neighborhoods to do outreach.  It was an eye opening experience as it introduced me to the relaties of the neighborhood.  In addition, the second part of the day, back at city hall, I was able to attend 3 meetings, each involving different departments at City Hall...which was interesting because it gave me a quick insight into those departments and their dealings with the SNI program.

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
The job itself is doing exactly what the emphasis for my major would be preparing me for (networking). There is a lot of stuff you don’t learn in school with computers so being able to work with professionals in this industry has been a great learning experience.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
work with a lot of smart, professional people who all have a good sense of humor that I can continuously learn from. It’s also really nice to be working in a place that gives me hands on experience with my future career.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
I have been working closely with the Technician/Help Desk team to help implement new systems throughout the airport while making sure the current ones are running stable.

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
Originally after I graduated from undergrad I went into working for Higher Education (specifically Stanford University and Foothill College) but as time went on and my passion for the environment grew stronger I knew that I wanted to take a chance and try in work in the environmental field. Two years ago I volunteered at one of the first zero waste city events and from there I was hooked. This past June one of the interns from Integrated Waste Management was moving to another Environmental Services Division and it gave me an opportunity to get some experience in the environmental field. I specifically chose the City of San José because of their extremely aggressive and progressive Green Vision. I wanted to be apart of the change and movement.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
I love working for the City because it gives me a chance to understand politics on more of a local level. At the city I can personally make an impact on hundreds of San José resident’s way of living.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
I have worked on a pilot with the Union School District to zero waste their lunch time, I have staffed and coordinated some of the zero waste large City events and currently I am working on a pilot project with the Residential group to increase recycling among the Multi-Family Dwellings.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
The most amazing day is when our team had won a San José Pride Award for Innovation (Special Events Zero Waste Team)

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
I decided to take an Internship with the City of San José because I had recently taken a few Accounting Classes at San José State University and was very interested in learning more and expanding my knowledge about the system. Since I had no real experience with accounting I realized that an internship would be my best bet, and the city of San José offered many internship opportunities to students.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
I enjoyed working with the City of San José because the environment was extremely welcoming, everyone I met was so nice and my training allowed me to expand my learning capabilities while really being able to understand the City of San José’s accounting system.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
In terms of projects, I was put in the accounts payable department of General Services during the transition of their fiscal year so I was able to work on a lot of interesting accounting projects that facilitated learning. I utilized the Financial Management System software by organizing and processing payments for the company’s procurement cards, assisting in paying Award of Contracts, Accrued contracts and purchase orders for the beginning of the fiscal year, entering open purchase orders, organized and paid cash collections for Animal Control Services, assisting the Accounts Payable division in processing payments for the Fleet and Facilities department, reconciling credit card payments and accounting codes to spreadsheets, transcribing Unencumbered Purchase Orders for the end of the fiscal year and prepared deposits and financial documents for cash collections.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
The most amazing experience I’ve had with the City during my internship was honestly, all the learning and all the opportunities that I was given. I felt that immediately my mentors put a lot of trust and responsibility on my shoulders and it made me feel important. As a student coming into this experience, I never thought I would do more than to observe or lend a helping hand. My internship with the City of San José gave me the ability to do more, learn more and experience so much more than I would have ever thought initially going in.

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
The job is great for putting what I learned in school into real professional practices. It’s important to have knowledge, but experience is just as important so being able to have a chance to create real professional project is something you can only experience outside of class.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
I really like the friendly and professional people I work with. They are not only smart but also willing to help and support you, too. It’s a great working and learning environment to be in.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
One of the coolest projects I have worked on was the 11th Annual Walk to End Domestic Violence with over 600 attendees. I got to design the flyer, newspaper ads, bus tail displays, street banners, and even T-shirts for the walk. It was so amazing to see my work all over downtown and hundreds of people wear my design. Another one would have to be creating the City’s student site, which’ is the one you are looking at now. I got to learn a lot about the City and share with people what the city has to offer.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
Everyday has been fun meeting new people and working on new projects, but the most amazing thing is to see my work being mass-produced and having tons of people see them.

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
It was a great opportunity for me to get practical experience in the field in addition to the theoretical background I get from school.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
I like working in the City of San José because it has a great working environment and learning atmosphere from experienced staff.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
Water quality studies in South San Francisco Bay and environmental monitoring and management of the City owned former salt pond A18 (salt pond restoration).

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
The most amazing part of my work is going out on a boat to South Bay and a great breakfast afterwards (Hobbies).

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
I decided to do my internship at the City of San José because it pays well, the biologists are flexible to work around my school schedule, and I wanted to gain experience in water quality monitoring. 

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
I like working at the City of San José because I have the opportunity to do biological work with such a recognized agency.  The biologists try to teach me new skills and genuinely care for their interns.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
I have enjoyed calibrating sondes in the laboratory and taking boat rides on the South San Francisco Bay to collect water samples.  If burrowing owl surveys will be done this spring, I would enjoy that as well.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
Probably the Employee Recognition Day and Holiday Potluck because it gave everyone the opportunity to have fun together and get to know each other better outside the normal work environment.

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
Working with the City provides a great opportunity to learn valuable job skills while making a difference.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
City employees seem to have a very positive vibe. They are so passionate about public service and helping those in need.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
Planning the first One Stop Shop Homebuyer Fair at the Northside Community Center with over 800 participants.  We showcased 16 of our affordable communities and offered free first-time homebuyer courses for attendees.  I managed distribution, press releases, media advisories and public service announcements for the event and arranged television interviews with 3 local stations.  I also maintained correspondence with representatives from each of the communities prior to the event in order to organize and develop marketing collateral for all of the developments.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
Everyday has been great! But I love it when I get to see the Mayor, Vice Mayor or Councilmembers. It’s like spotting celebrities!

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
The City of San José is a well respected and recognized government agency in the Bay Area, so who wouldn’t want to work here? Students who intern at the City of San José will acquire multi-faceted training and hone down skills they have learned in college. It also gives them that cutting edge to ground that career they have been searching for, whether in the City or a private organization.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
1) Networking with professionals and building professional relationships has been a great experience; 2) The City of San José is really close to my home and to SJSU - it would be a shame to have to commute elsewhere; 3) Obtaining the preparation necessary to make you a polished professional is priceless. .

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
Avril Baty is my PBCE mentor; she is great in allowing me to become exposed to different projects for different teams. Projects I have worked on are as follows – Project Management, Initial Studies, the Housing Element, reviewing Historical Reports, and most recently, working to address the lack of multi-family residential zoning districts in San José..

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
Honestly, the first day I met my mentor. “Falling into her lap” as she laughingly states, has opened doors to getting the experience I am required to get for my masters degree, and in obtaining that career I hope to get some day.

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
The city offers me the opportunity to get daily hands-on training in my field, build a diverse professional network, and compensate me well for my time.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
It’s a great working environment, the people are friendly and hardworking, and it gives me the chance to become familiar with technology and equipment that they don’t have at school.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
I am constantly working on new and exciting projects. I’ve had the chance to cover the Livestrong bike race, San José Jazz Festival, NVision ’08, West Coast Green, The San José Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon, and I get to learn about San José through our District Profiles series and from covering all of our council and committee meetings.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
The best part about this internship is getting to know all the people within the city staff. This includes the amazing crew I work closely with at the TV station; Jason Chandra, Robert Enriquez and Mike Frezzo, but also the city staff, council members, the City Manager Debra Figone and Mayor Chuck Reed. One day, I was shooting the West Coast Green keynote speakers, where the mayor gave an address. When he was done, I got the chance to ride with him and his bodyguard, Ted, to the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit at the Tech. It was really neat getting to hang out with them and getting the chance to cover two interesting events.

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
My work experience up until this point has been mostly political in nature. Working for the City of San José offered me the opportunity to immerse myself in government. Since I started working on my masters in Public Administration at San José State University I have been interested in learning about how communities (see Neighborhoods) interact with government. I hope to be able to further develop my interest and learn as much as I can through this internship. .

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
The cool projects.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
I am currently working on a resident-led training to familiarize neighborhood activists and others with the ins and outs of City Hall. The training will be titled Citizens at City Hall and will focus on helping residents become more comfortable with the various processes and protocols of our local government. My other project has been focused on resource development and putting together a plan to distribute foundation and grant monies into San José neighborhoods, within and outside of redevelopment areas,  for institutional development and other projects.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
Every day is amazing.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
San José is the 10th largest city in the United States.  It has a huge budget relative to most cities in the country, and vastly diverse residents.  Working for such a large and important city has been a tremendously educating experience that will prepare me for a career in government.

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
As an Intern I have been helping OED design and implement a tool to better leverage City funds with community nonprofit organizations following the Council's recent enhanced concern over bankruptcies/bailout requests and struggling nonprofits in general.
The tool is being designed to assess the risk of awarding grant funding to a nonprofit based on an extensive assessment.  Most recently, I have been assisting OED in planning for the first Global Entrepreneurship Week.  We plan to sponsor an event with an emphasis on youth entrepreneurship.

Any Advices for students seeking internship?
Honestly, an internship is your only shot at scoring a meaningful government career.  Students all over the country intern in various government positions not just because its the best way to "get your foot in the door" but because prospective employers know that an internship introduces you to many of the nuances of government employment that school cannot prepare you for.  The City of San José is a great internship opportunity to learn about broad challenges that large administrations face as well as the many specific local needs that must be fulfilled.

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
To get experience working in local government, especially for the nation’s tenth largest city.

Why do you like working at the City of San José? 
I like working for the City of San Jose because I have an influence on implementing programs related to the improvement of the environmental quality and sustainability in my home town. 

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
Assisting with the coordination of the Regional Permitting Symposium, gathering data related to solar installations, and working on zero wasting events.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far? 
Taking part in the development of a pilot program that received high recognition for reducing waste at events and improving diversion rates.

Why did you decide to do your internship at the City of San José?
I used to be a business major, and I wanted to get experience in the Finance world and see if I really liked the job that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was interested in Finance because of the experiences that my cousin had gone through when he went to school. I thought gaining experience would be beneficial, plus I could put it on my resume. People don’t get that working for the City or any kind of Government is the greatest experience that you can have, and employers don’t look lightly upon that kind of experience. I started out working in the Finance Department, but slowly came to realize that I didn’t want to work behind a desk for the rest of my life. I was happy to have had that experience, and I learned a lot from the Finance Department.  I had the opportunity to choose between my own city, the City of Saratoga, or the City of San José. I weighed the pros and cons, and the City of San José definitely came out on top. I knew that I would have the chance to be seconds away from the people that run this City, and have made it what it is today. There are so many amazing people that work at the City, and I knew that I wanted to meet each and every one of them.

Why do you like working at the City of San José?
I love the fact that the City is such a diverse place. I have met so many great people while working here. If I ever need anything, I can call someone and I know exactly where to go! I have had the opportunity to meet people like Ru Weerakoon, my supervisors, everyone that works in Finance, and even the Mayor!! I have told my supervisor, Cathy Morrey, many times - I love waking up in the morning and knowing that I get to go to work and make a difference. For the first time in my life, I can actually see the product of all my hard work, and I see it every day walking into the doors of city hall. It’s amazing to know that I have left this huge footprint in San José, and that I can come back and tell everyone, “HEY THAT WAS MY IDEA, AND I HAD A CHANCE TO IMPLEMENT IT!”

What cool projects have you worked on at the City of San José?
I am in charge of the Citywide Pilot Intern Mentoring Program, which is a program that I started by myself for the City of San José Interns. We match interns with mentors [city employees] and give the partners key tools. I think another cool project that I got to work on was the “Are You IN?” Event, which was an event put together for the City Interns. It was an opportunity for current City Interns to network with each other and past Interns in order to gather ideas for potential career paths. It was also a chance for staff to learn more information about Interns in hopes of maintaining a successful Citywide Internship Program.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at the City thus far?
I think the most amazing day I had was July 17th, 2008. I know the exact day because it’s the day of the “Are You IN?” Event that I put together. It was our 2nd annual event, and I had helped Alexandra Orologas put it together last year. But this year, I had the chance to put together the event all by myself. Granted, I got some help from my supervisors, but it was all my ideas put into one event. I had so much fun getting speakers and ordering the food. I never imagined that there was so much time and energy put into one event, and from the outside it looks like such a simple task to do. I learned how to coordinate an event for 110 people, SUCCESSFULLY! Not only did I get to put together the event, but, I also had the chance to be the MC for the entire event. I was nervous at first, but once I got up to the front of the room I found my place. Being in front of a crowd is where I am most comfortable, and I had the opportunity to share all my hard work with the rest of the interns. Being able to look at each and every single persons face and know that I brought them all into one room was an amazing feeling and an amazing accomplishment!

Now a permanent employee of City of San José.

For more information, click here.

Now a permanent employee of City of San José.

For more information, click here.

Now a permanent employee of City of San José.

For more information, click here.

Now a permanent employee of City of San José.

For more information, click here.

Now a permanent employee of City of San José.

For more information, click here.