卡西迪·达米特经历了俄亥俄州中部地区规划委员会的转型实习

Author: Audrianna Wilde

In Hocking County, Master of Public Administration (MPA) 候选人卡西迪·达米特沉浸在公共服务和地方政府的世界里. Through her internship with the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC)在美国，杜米特与该组织15个县服务区内的一个地方政府合作. This summer, 杜米特曾在洛根市市长办公室实习, 在那里她有机会运用她通过 Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service while gaining practical work experience.

After graduating with a B.A. in Political Science 她于2022年从艺术与科学学院毕业，并成功完成了在沃伊诺维奇学院为期一年的个人MPA项目的课程, 达米特寻找一个工作机会，在那里她对公共部门的知识和她对服务的热情可以开花结果. 她希望利用实习的探索性来发展和加强自己的专业技能.

“I kind of identify as a shy person,” Dummitt said. “So networking has always been something that's hard for me to do. I was nervous when I started this internship because I thought, “也许他们对我有很高的期望，我应该有所有这些联系，我应该知道所有这些事情.’”

As Dummitt dove headfirst into her new experience, however, 她惊喜地发现，洛根城的现实正等着她.

达米特说:“他们非常欢迎我，他们看到了我的技能. “They asked me, ‘What do you want to learn from this? How can we help you open more doors by the time you leave here?’”

所以，Dummitt倾注了她所有的努力来充分利用她的经历. Although Dummitt was officially an intern in the mayor’s office, 她很快就见证了地方和州政府各部门之间的相互联系.

Throughout her internship, 达米特开始提供项目援助，并与其他城市部门合作:审计署, utility billing, human resources, code enforcement, the police department, the service director and city council. 她发现自己面临着各种各样的责任和任务, such as processing financial reports, developing and updating databases, aiding in records management and organization, and maintaining the security of sensitive information.

During her internship, Dummitt enjoyed working with the mayor, 因为他对通过实施积极变革和倡导公共安全来改善城市的热情鼓舞了她. As she observed him and his work ethic, 达米特反思了她在沃伊诺维奇学院学到的组织领导力和公共服务视角.

“A lot of my time this month, I've been preparing for my capstone and final portfolio, 所以我花了很多时间练习自省，思考我从第一天开始学到的东西,” Dummitt said. “有很多教授，我觉得我现在就可以给他们打电话，告诉他们, “你给我展示了这个”或者“你为我打开了这扇门，现在我要亲自动手了。.’”

Dummitt specifically remembered her course with Dr. Lesli Johnson, where she read a book about George Voinovich, the former Cleveland mayor, U.S. senator and governor of Ohio. 读到与沃伊诺维奇学校同名的故事，以及他以公共服务的名义所取得的卓越成就，让达米特对在一个没有政治或利益期望的地方市政工作意味着什么有了更深的理解.

“我最喜欢的部分是学习和探索各种领导风格和技能,” Dummitt said. “我们花了很多课程来思考如何成为一名优秀的领导者，以及如何把你在课堂上学到的东西带到办公室.”

Occasionally, MORPC would host events in downtown Columbus, 公共部门的雇员会在哪里聚会，了解新的政策变化和期望. 正是在这些活动中，Dummitt有机会获得对自己社交技能的信心.

杜米特为自己设定了一个目标:在这些活动中与陌生人进行一次有意义的交谈. The more she introduced herself, the larger her network began to grow, as those she met connected her with their networks.

“Networking isn't there to make you feel small, 在那里，你可以遇到那些愿意帮助你实现梦想的人,” Dummitt said.

Now, 在俄亥俄州其他几个公共服务领域有潜在的工作机会, Dummitt有信心，她将能够利用她在洛根市的经验，使她成为一个理想的候选人，无论她去哪里.

“What's next is finding a job in some way, 在回馈社会的过程中让我感到满足，让我的社区更安全，对生活在那里的每个人都更好,” Dummitt said. “这次实习确实让我为接下来的工作做好了准备.”

Looking back, Dummitt was thankful for her studies in the MPA program, 因为他们被证明是她成功实习经历的坚实基础. 她与同辈成员建立的亲密友谊，以及她从教授那里得到的指导，是她知道她将在余生中珍惜的东西.

Dummitt说:“不要把项目中的每一天都视为理所当然，因为时间过得很快。. “我在这个项目中遇到了很多教授，我将永远珍惜他们，我知道我将在今后的岁月里与他们保持联系. People in the Voinovich School are there to help you, 你只需要主动去寻求他们的帮助和建议.”