GCIP Spotlight: 2023 Program Review
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Over the past year, the Georgia County Internship Program (GCIP) Spotlight presented the stories of interns and counties that participated in the 2023 GCIP cycle. A total of 42 interns were hired in 21 counties, completing internship projects in a range of disciplines from GIS to human resources to documentary filmmaking. To date, the ACCG Civic Affairs Foundation (CAF) has provided over 500 internships in 91 counties. A new class of interns is joining the ranks, as internships are kicking off for the 2024 cycle in counties across the state. Before jumping into coverage of these new interns next month, this edition will profile all 2023 interns and spotlight a few that had not yet been featured.
Each of the 42 interns who participated in the 2023 GCIP cycle brought unique experiences and skills to their county projects. The interns hailed from diverse locations and 22 different colleges and universities. The most represented colleges included Georgia College, Georgia Southern, and the University of Georgia (UGA). A few native Georgians attending schools out of state also participated, with college representation all the way from Ireland. There were over 25 unique majors and areas of study represented by the students who participated in GCIP. Although law and business were popular fields of study amongst students, the 2023 class also included cinema and media arts production, exercise science, service design, and livestock production majors as well.
Three interns returned to complete a second summer internship in their counties through GCIP. In Bartow County, Georgia Tech student Gracie Pruitt returned to complete an engineering project. In Fayette County, recent Berry College graduate Patrick Knight returned to receive an advanced water laboratory training. Finally, in Troup County, Mercer Law student Tyler Meadows worked on case files with the Solicitor General.
Athens-Clarke County: Photography and Videography
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UGA photography student Santiago Arbelaez interned with Athens-Clarke County’s public information office. Arbelaez brought his skills in photography and videography to the internship and worked on a variety of video projects. One of his major projects was producing and editing a video for the grand opening of the Firefly Trail Pedestrian Bridge, which taught Arbelaez the start-to-finish process of publishing a piece of media for local government.
Arbelaez also said he enjoyed going on set and filming at locations around the county. He shot footage of road repairs on the Olympic Drive culvert, got B-roll of the inmate dog training correction program, and stitched together timelapse clips from an assortment of cameras set up around Athens. Though he began the internship with only loose insight into county government, Arbelaez ended his experience with a better understanding of how government operates and how best to showcase local government to citizens.
Chatham County: Human Resources and Engineering
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Chatham County was a first-time participant in GCIP in 2023. Over the summer, the county hosted two Georgia Southern students who completed unique projects. Melanie Holland, a public health major, and Darryl Henderson, a human resource management major, inaugurated Chatham’s participation in the GCIP. Henderson worked in the county's human resources department on a variety of hands-on tasks. He created job postings, practiced screening candidates and calling references, processed unemployment claims, and learned how to generate departmental reports. Henderson said he enjoyed collaborating with staff, noting "They were incredibly nice and welcoming, and it was nice to be able to pick their brains about the ins and outs of their jobs." In the future, Henderson plans to work in HR and said he would "absolutely" consider a career in county government.
Holland also participated in hands-on work, though she was stationed in the engineering department. Holland's work focused on data entry, prepping, and sorting information for a new GIS wastewater map of unincorporated Chatham County. In addition to working with data, Holland also assisted with septic tank maintenance workshops for homeowners, and developed educational materials and other resources for county residents. Holland said the skills she developed in the internship will be very helpful as she pursues a future career in public health.
Douglas County: Planning and Zoning
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Douglas County native Elon Mitchell returned from her studies in Dublin, Ireland to work in the county's planning and zoning department. At University College Dublin, Mitchell studies regional and urban planning. She brought her planning skills to her internship, where she received further experience working in software such as ArcGIS Pro and PowerPoint.
Mitchell's internship was research-heavy, allowing her to learn a lot about the county where she grew up, as well as more technical skills such as fieldwork note-taking. Mitchell's most significant project was updating the county's housing stock database, which required driving around the county and comparing her present-day notes with historical records. In the future, Mitchell hopes to build a career as a planner in the US or Ireland.
Profiles of each 2023 GCIP intern can be found here.For more information on the GCIP, please visit our website at https://www.accg.org/caf_gcip.php.
