What is Link?
Link is a three week internship that Juniors take place in which challenges the student to take their interests and explore what job opportunities they may have and then see what work/career they may want to go into and how to attain these goals. Throughout the internship the students are able to really immerse themselves in their chosen working environment which may be something that they are strongly passionate about, with the help of a mentor they are able to discover more about who they are and what path they want to take. During LINK, students have no regular classes as they spend 30-40 hours a week with mentors in the workplace, learning how to apply their skills outside the classroom
My Link
For my link, I stayed in Durango working for a La Plata County Commissioner, Julie Westendorff. During this 3 week period, I learned all about what her role as County Commissioner is as well as everything that the county does for the community. I went to almost every meeting she went to, and went to several on my own.
I went on tours of the different departments including:
- Jail
-Finance
-County Clerks Office
-H.R.
-Human Services
- Planning
I went on tours of the different departments including:
- Jail
-Finance
-County Clerks Office
-H.R.
-Human Services
- Planning
My Project
My mentor wasn't sure how to talk to high school students about taxes and La Plata County's financial situation in a way that gauges their interest. For my project I made a slideshow that she could bring to high schools withing the limits of the county and educate them as future voters of the county
My Process
I reached out to over 5 mentors originally. I was trying to have my link take me out of Durango, unfortunately, everyone I reached out either needed help for longer than 3 weeks or weren't looking for an intern at that time. I had about a week until link started and had no idea what I would be doing, when my dad took me on a birthday party camping trip, I saw a bunch of people I didn't know and one that looked familiar; Julie Westendorff. I knew her because she worked with my mom, and I knew I would get a good experience with her and we got everything going the day after the deadline.
My Project
Throughout my internship, my mentor expressed to me to difficulty she felt while going to high schools and trying to engage the students on local issues. Her difficulty getting through to groups of high school students is what gave us the idea for my project. Over the course of the internship, I noticed a large portion of what was being discussed in the meetings I attended were generally related to taxes and financial issues, so I put those two things together as a presentation my mentor can take with her into high schools that explains the importance of taxes and where the county stands in the years to come.
Reflection
Over the three weeks of my link, I really enjoyed my experience, I learned a lot about issues locally that I wasn't aware of, explored the different departments within the county, increasing my knowledge on what services are provided to the community, and learned a lot about what it takes to be a local elected official. My link went well and taught me a lot about my local government and helped me narrow down my path towards my future. As much as I enjoyed this internship as an opportunity and experience, I am not sure if I would choose this career for myself, I have a great interest in politics, however I learned a lot about how local elected officials, especially in communities like La Plata County, must act in order to be excepted by the community.