An Internship with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission

If you have a passion for planning, civil engineering or public service, there may be an internship waiting for you at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). On October 2, Allison Mancz, the coordinator for the MORPC Local Government Summer Internship program, spoke to a group of OHIO students.

This internship is a fantastic way for both undergraduate and graduate students across various fields including geography, engineering and political science to advance their professional career. Mancz’s speech also highlighted some of the major projects that MORPC has partnered with around the central Ohio region, such as the LinkUS transportation initiative and the Rapid 5 Project.

MORPC is a metropolitan planning organization that works with hundreds of local governments around central Ohio to advance planning in public transportation, green infrastructure, connected hiking trails and more. For 10 to 14 weeks during the summer, MORPC places approximately 60 college interns with a local government in the region to assist with various administrative and technical tasks, along with research and public outreach. Student interns work between 16 and 40 hours each week depending on their host government, with pay ranging from $15 to $20 per hour.

Image

Outside of their weekly hours with their host governments, interns are paired with a city planner biweekly for mentoring. They are also invited to attend various MORPC intern events to learn more about city planning and public service through optional field trips and networking with professionals. As a perk for Ohio University students, the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service sponsors several students to be placed in governments near Southeast Ohio. Students with a minimum 3.0 GPA, an interest in public service, and 30 hours of completed college coursework may apply to the Local Government Summer Internship.

On a personal note, I was one of the MORPC Local Government interns this past summer, and I greatly enjoyed my experience with MORPC. My host government was Violet Township, near the Pickerington and Reynoldsburg areas of Columbus. My daily tasks were largely administrative and research based, where I collected data about the region’s populations and areas that needed support from state grants. I also attended biweekly township meetings to learn how township committees like the Board of Zoning Appeals, Trustees, and Zoning Commission operated.

I am thankful for the larger projects I got to accomplish during my time there, such as assisting with the Active Transportation Plan and writing for the Pickerington Magazine. In addition, I gained practical knowledge through some of the MORPC intern events, including the Rural Housing Forum and career preparation workshop. I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in city planning or public service apply to this internship.

The author, Claire Payauys, is a Geography - Environmental Pre-Law Major.