First off I would like to thank Jenna, Melikabella and everyone else at COLA for their hard work and dedication, our success is because of you. I feel that this was the best way for me to finish my education at UNLV and I will graduate in a few weeks with a bachelors degree in political science. The internship opportunity gave me first hand experience that will be valuable in my future career.
I am majoring in political science and want to run for Congress as a Democrat for the great state of Nevada in the near future. I feel that this internship program gave me all the necessary tools I will need to be successful in my professional career. From keeping up with my S.M.A.R.T goals to updating my resume and networking when I'm at an event, I feel this course has prepared me for the real career world that awaits me. No classroom lecture or assignment could ever provide the invaluable lessons learned during my internship with the city of Las Vegas.
I interned for the city of Las Vegas because I felt that would be a good career path to take once I graduate. I know running for Congress takes some experience and that's why I feel that working for the city of Las Vegas has given me and will keep given me the experience I need to further my career. My goal is to further my career by working with a state or federal Democratic Congress member and after a few years with enough knowledge and experience run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives.
My time interning for the city of Las Vegas started out rough because the city's HR department took longer than expected with the hiring process but it at least taught me to have some patience. After about a month of waiting for the HR department I got my one and only project for this internship. However the project I got to work on was so amazing for the community of Las Vegas and I was very glad just to be a part of it.
You see the historic west side in Las Vegas is famous because it was the community for the hard working African Americans living in Las Vegas during its beginnings. Unfortunately the historic west side has seen better days and this community suffers from high poverty rates, along with high crime rates, homelessness, abandoned and empty houses and lots has made this community a very dangerous living environment. This community also suffers from being a food dessert, with no fresh food or vegetables to purchase for the citizens of this community. Giving them a huge disadvantage in being a productive citizen in Las Vegas.
My internship was to research the process of a co-op grocery store. This is because the city is planning to build a co-op grocery store for the citizens of the historic west side community. More than likely the city will own the property but it will be managed and run by the local citizens. The local citizens of the historic west side will also be able to purchase their fresh food and vegetables at a discount rate. As for fellow citizens in surrounding communities wanting to shop at this grocery store, they will have to pay a membership fee kind of like Costco and Sam's Club. The people of this community have a lot to worry about with crime and poverty and so I am glad that I could help out and be a part of a solution to bring food securities to this historic community that desperately needs it.
I am so glad that I got to experience this internship program and feel that I have learned all the necessary things needed to be successful in my professional career. The COLA Internship has given every student the ability to shine as bright as the brightest light possible in their future professional careers and with the knowledge and experience gained from this I feel my shine is as bright as the Sun in the sky above.
I would suggest to any fellow or future intern to know the process when interning for the city. I might of chosen a political campaign to intern for if I knew that the HR department at the city was going o take so long. This is an amazing opportunity because instead of learning from a lecture or a book, you get hands on experience into your potential career. So it gives you an opportunity to figure out if this is the profession you want to go into after graduating from college.
