Georgia County Internship Spotlight

 

 

Takiyah Christian, an environmental health science major at the University of Georgia, interned with the Fayette County Environmental Management Department over the summer.

 

Christian had little familiarity with local government before her internship. By interning with the Fayette County Environmental Management Department, she learned the importance of stormwater management on the county level. One of her favorite parts of the internship was gaining insight into the structure of county government. She enjoyed seeing how everyone’s contributions lead to major department projects coming to life.

 

During her internship, Christian was tasked with multiple responsibilities allowing her to make the most of her time with Fayette County. She was responsible for developing a non-point source pollution prevention training programs for county employees and redesigning the department’s solid waste web pages. Christian also assisted with developing educational material on stormwater and floodplains management. Her most significant successes were creating training material for handling herbicide, pesticide, and oil spills for the building and ground department and the local fire department.

 

By interning, Christian developed skills such as prioritizing tasks, effectively communicating with other departments, and understanding municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4). She sees the importance of these skills and how they will help her succeed in the future.

 

Before her internship, she had already considered pursuing a career in local government in stormwater management. Now with her experience, she feels more confident in doing so. Christian encourages others to intern with their county government to learn about the various departments working together to protect and maintain the county’s quality of life.