My Final Week at the Charlotte City Council

It is extremely hard to believe that the summer is over and that my internship has come to an end. Although I received a new internship experience and liked some aspects of the internship, I expected this internship to be a little different. I enjoyed how involved I was in the Charlotte community by attending events, meeting leaders, and working closely with Councilwoman Ajmera (since I was the main intern). I learned a lot more about the role of a council member and mayor and the growth of the city. My favorite part of the internship was the events because my previous internship was spent entirely in the office, working on my laptop. I wish that this internship was a bit more challenging but after completing two internships, I have learned that it is hard to give certain tasks to people who are there short-term. I also think I could have learned much more if I was present during a campaign cycle. With that being said, I told Councilwoman Ajmera how interested I was learning about campaign season and how I plan on keeping in-touch with her via text/email or volunteering if possible. The biggest learning experience came from having a robust internship. Councilwoman Ajmera assigning me tasks task like writing a bio, attending community events and council meetings, and completing an administrative project.

I achieved my goals of learning more about the local government like how being a council member is a “part-time” job. Going into the internship, one of my goals was to learn about the local government as a whole but now, I realize that the city council is just one aspect of the local government. I plan on continuing to reach out to city employees and people involved in all level of politics via linked-in or asking professionals in-person when I meet them. I am also thankful for the Wake Washington experience and taking 3 career courses as I have practiced professional etiquette and tips during this experience. At our farewell dinner and last community event, Councilwoman Ajmera invited me back to intern with her next summer. This meant a lot to me because I felt like she enjoyed having me as an intern and I did good work. After this internship experience, I am interested in learning more about state-level politics as I am not really interested in working at the local level.

My advice to future Kirby Grant receipts is to take time to truly reflect on the tasks that you have done whether you have completed them or not. It may not seem important or a large accomplishment at the time but you will later see the importance of that task/assignment. By thoroughly reflecting and writing about it, you can continue to work on those skills and be able to talk about it when asked.