Stanford University Urban Studies &
Urban Summer Fellowship
Student perspectives of community-engaged learning and research across the United States
As it draws to a close, a big summer in Los Angeles hasn't fully formed into a single narrative, so excuse the scattered nature of this entry. Since June, I have worked in the Mayor's Office of Economic Opportunity (MOEO), in the Housing Policy team. From this experience, a few things stick out:
Tomorrow, one of our big projects, the affordable housing linkage fee, which will (god willing) serve as L.A.'s first permanent source of affordable housing, comes to its first vote before the Los Angeles City Council. Though my work on it is vastly outweighed by that of my supervisor, colleagues, and even other interns that came before me, I'm honored to have played some, small role in creating the change that L.A. so desperately needs. Having worked previously in the federal government, I was often frustrated by the overwhelming inertia of work on that level. Bureaucracy stifled ideas, and minimal changes required maximum effort. I was lucky in many senses: to have been able to find work in a local government, to have my hope that it would prove more fulfilling validated; to get a grant from Stanford, which made unpaid work possible; to have found a place and a time where I could be useful and feel useful; to have colleagues and a supervisor who were infinitely patient; to work for a Mayor whose vision aligns with mine; to be able to work in Los Angeles, the 2nd largest American city, on an issue near and dear to my heart. The list goes on. This city has a quality I'd on lazier occasions describe as ineffable. After a few months here, I can see how its status as an immigrant city came to be. It's hardly the caricature: of celebrities at Starbucks, endless traffic, millennials competing for attention at the expense of any sincerity... - though you can find those things here. What sticks out to me instead is the light and heat that descend indiscriminately into street and home, the odd walkable neighborhood and the public transportation (among the most accessible in the U.S.), and the scale of it all -- 88 cities make up LA County, and countless communities make up LA. It's an ambitious, awing enterprise, unlike anywhere else I've been. Of course, every summer (and city) has challenges. Transitioning from home to full-time work and Adult Living can prove difficult in the first weeks, before you've established a rhythm. So can losing proximity to the friends who are usually so important to your daily life. But that's what I've come to understand these working summers as: previous of adulthood, in all its freedom, hardship, and novelty. I'm not coming from this summer with all the answers about how to adult, or how to spend my next few years, but I willfully dedicated myself to coming closer to them. I networked (serious shoutout to everyone who helped me/met with me!) and got a much better sense of the work I'd like to find after this senior year. I did my own research about the companies and jobs that would land me back in Los Angeles. I was reminded that folks, who have it together now, wandered, and that's totally fine. I cooked! A little. I commuted for over an hour each way every day. I met up with friends for brunch. Little by little, a portrait of what my life after college might look like has appeared. Finally, two tips for future interns, who are also figuring it out: 1. Ask people! Most of the professionals I've spoken to have been more than willing to tell their own story, explain their work, share their advice, listen. As long as you're polite and respectful of people's time, don't be afraid to cold email. 2. Try something else! When I think back to my previous internships, my chief regret was winding up in so many similar positions (though they were all well worth it individually). That's why I'm so thankful I did something different this summer. I now know that, for the near future, I'd much prefer working at a city government level to working in the federal government. In work, as in life, there are some things you can't control, others you can. I was blessed with a thousand lucky coincidences this summer, including a great supervisor and good work. But I also come from this summer dedicated to continuing happily the adventure, wherever it takes me, into adulthood. Thanks for reading and don't be shy about reaching out.
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AuthorThis blog is authored by Stanford University students engaged in summer fellowships through the Cardinal Quarter and the Program on Urban Studies. All writings and thoughts belong to the Fellows and do not represent the opinion of the sponsoring programs. Archives
September 2018
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