By Joan F. Simoneau, Community Reporter
Marlborough – Area college students interested in public service and related fields are acquiring an education in the workings of city government this summer. They are participating in the city's Public Service Internship Program, designed to provide college students with substantive government sector experience, working with department heads and their staffs.
In Mayor Arthur Vigeant's office is Alicia Redondo, a junior at Mt. Holyoke College, working side-by-side with Patricia Bernard, executive secretary, and Michael Berry, the mayor's executive aide. She said she is pleased to be intimately involved in the day-to-day workings of the office.
“It was also exciting to go to a City Council meeting and meet all the councilors and to see them in action,” Redondo said.
“Our office is fortunate to have a student of Alicia's caliber,” the mayor said. “She truly maximized her opportunity with the city and gained some valuable experience.”? Also singing her praises is Berry.
“Alicia has been a real asset to our office,” he said.? “She hit the ground running from day one and absorbed a lot of information in a short period of time.”
Marlborough High graduate Michael McGuire is assigned to the City Clerk's office.
“Lisa Thomas, the city clerk, has provided me with a lot of valuable information on the ins and outs of city politics and, more importantly, working with computers that will help me tremendously,” McGuire said. “I have also gotten a chance to work with Travis Mason, the elections clerk, and he knows pretty much everything there is to know about the election process. As a 20-year old? getting a chance to vote for president for the first time, it is very exciting to get so much insight firsthand.”
Also enrolled in the college intern program and the offices they are assigned to are:? Andrew Skoog, Housing Division; Kevin McCombs, City Council/Comptroller; Aidan Stedman, IT; Anna Marton, Human Services; Danielle Sutherby, Library; Logan Harrington, Council on Aging; Lily Dowlatabadi, Facilities; Daniel Suvalskas, DPW/Engineering; Matthew Mullen, DPW/Water; Hunter Loveland, Conservation; Jeremiah Callahan, Legal/Procurement; and Michael Lopatin, Marlborough Economic Development ?Corporation.
Nearing completion of service in the city's first summer Youth Employment Program are 10 local high school students who are working 25 hours a week in city departments as follows:? Alex Santos, Austyn LaVertue and Dylan Gonyea, in Housing. Allison Frye and Megan Boudreau, Library; William Fuqua, IT; Owen O”Leary, Public Facilities; Timothy Fine, Council on Aging, and Dylan King and Uriel Sanchez, Conservation. Students in both programs receive $8 an hour.