GEORGIA COUNTY INTERNSHIP SPOTLIGHT

                                            

 

 

Eboni Franklin, a Cybersecurity Major at Columbus State University, interned with Marion County’s Administration Department. During her internship, Franklin worked on a Code of Ordinances review project that left a lasting impact on Marion County.

 

Though she said she was only vaguely familiar with government operations before the internship, Franklin’s supervisor Sylvia Russell said that Franklin was a strong listener and quick learner and could easily maneuver through the systems used for the Marion County Code of Ordinances. Russell, Marion County’s Clerk, also said that Franklin was a focused worker and “very organized and straightforward” in her research.

 

Updating and reorganizing Marion’s Code of Ordinances was one of Franklin’s major projects during the internship. She was responsible for researching minutes from 2006 to 2020 and noting any significant changes to the Code. Franklin then organized these changes, developed an index for the minute book, and updated the online platform for the Code of Ordinances, Municode. Franklin considers this project to be one of her most significant successes during her internship, as she gained in-depth knowledge about the county, learned new skills, and honed existing ones.

 

Franklin also worked on a specific project related to the Zoning section of the Code. To make the Code more efficient and transparent, Franklin completed outreach to various entities to study and prepare zoning recommendations. Russell praised Franklin’s initiative and professionalism in conducting outreach. Russell also noted that Franklin's research will help "finalize new ordinances that will bring Marion County up to date with industry standards and better align us with our peer counties."

 

Franklin said that her favorite part of the internship was learning the inner workings of county government and how exactly the government functions. She also enjoyed spending time with her coworkers and said that she even wished that the internship was longer. Throughout the internship, Franklin said she built skills such as time management and learning how to read and interpret laws and ordinances. Franklin said that the internship provided a “great foundation for a future government job," and she hopes to start her career in government upon graduation.