• Professor of Political Science, Terry Christensen, San José State University.
• Professor of Sociology, Michael Fallon, San José State University
• Professor of Political Science, Elsa Chen, Santa Clara University

Terry Christensen is a Professor of Political Science specializing in state and local politics at San José State University. He got his PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and his BA from Stanford University. He is author of nine books, including "California Politics and Government" 10th edition, co-authored by Larry N. Gerston and "Local Politics," 2nd edition, co-authored by Tom-Hogen-Ech. He is also the Director of San José State University Political Science Internship program.

What value have you found in internships?
Interns gain experience, confidence and contacts, building their resumes and testing their career interests against real-life experience. Internships sometimes lead directly to jobs and always strengthen students as candidates for future employment.

Will you recommend City of San José's Internship Program to students? If so, why?
Interning with the City of San José is always an excellent opportunity for our students. Council members and administrative departments are conscientious about giving interns real responsibilities and mentoring them.

Could you describe or share a successful example or story about students working with the City?

• Robert Lopez interned with the city's Housing Department and ultimately gained employment there.
• Alexandra Orologas interned with Human Resources and her experienced helped her win a prestigious Management Fellowship.
• Rhovylynn Cansino interned with the City Clerk and went on to employment as council staff (along with many San José State University students who interned with San José council members and later gained staff positions).

CommUniverCity service learning projects have introduced hundreds of students to community service, leading to the more intense experience of interning and to serious consideration of careers in the public sector.

Michael Fallon is the Associate Director of San José State University's Center for Community Learning & Leadership, and a lecturer in the Sociology Department. He was raised in the midwest, received a parochial school education, attended the University of Notre Dame (BA), San Jose State University (Credential), and the University of San Francisco (MA).  Teaching "community involvement and personal growth" courses have complemented his administrative experience in community organizing (AIDS education, charitable organizations). Michael traveled the world solo, then sailed the Caribbean in the late 80s. Michael enjoys his work in the community, reading, sports, wining & dining, and limited travel.

What value have you found in internships?
While I did not serve an internship in my college/pre-professional years, it is almost an expectation today in a highly competitive job market.  But more than a hiring requisite, an internship is a valuable experience in many ways — for skill development, understanding organizational culture, social networking, even as community service in the nonprofit sector.

Will you recommend City of San José's Internship Program to students? If so, why?
I highly recommend the City of San Jose's Internship Program, because I had a small hand in creating it!  Seriously, the partnership alone between the City and the University is a wonderful thing, and to step off campus and into City Hall seems ideal.  I've seen many wonderful accomplishments by our interns; and I've seen a comraderie and a pride amongst them.  The importance and respectability of government is being restored under the new, current administration, and to be a part of effective government is exciting.  Though current economic conditions affect career retirement circumstances, there is still great opportunity for young leaders to replace Baby Boomers in this new world order.

Could you describe or share a successful example or story about students working with the City?
I hope that I'm not taking my colleague Terry's story, but as we were forming the Public Sector Career Initiative (PSCI), he legitimately challenged the new program manager, Kelly Spivey, to prioritize improvement of the City’s internship process. He'd been trying for months to months to get Alexandra Orologas an internship with the City, so our PSCI efforts seemed futile. Well, Kelly responded by herself taking on Alexandra as an intern, and through Alexandra's great work, the PSCI took off ... and Alexandra is still with the City!

Elsa Chen is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of Public Sector Studies at Santa Clara University.  She teaches American Politics and Public Policy, including the Public and Nonprofit Sector Internship class and courses in criminal justice and housing/homelessness policy.  Dr. Chen has an AB in Public and International Affairs from Princeton, a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard, and a PhD in Political Science from UCLA.  Her current research focuses on racial and ethnic disparities in criminal sentencing, and the implementation and impacts of “Three Strikes and You’re Out.”  She and her family are avid San José Sharks fans.

What value have you found in internships?
My internship students have benefited from their experiences in many ways.  Here are just a few:

• Many have been able to secure post-graduation employment as a direct result of their work as interns – either in the offices where they interned, in other City offices through positive referrals, or in other parts of the public sector through the professional networks they form and nurture as interns.
• A good internship provides students with the chance to develop and demonstrate professional skills and work habits, and to complete substantive projects.  All of this makes for a more impressive resume and great references for the job-seeker.
• Internships are a fantastic way to “test out” a potential job or career with little risk.  Some students find a great fit, and for others, it’s useful to narrow down their career choices through process of elimination!
• The ability to observe government and policy in action makes concrete many of the abstract ideas that students learn in their political science classes.  This makes for a richer and deeper understanding of what students learn in the classroom. 

Will you recommend City of San José's Internship Program to students? If so, why?
The City of San José is one of my favorite places to send students seeking internships.  The internship supervisors and mentors in both the Council offices and the offices of the City Manager and various departments take great care of interns, giving them meaningful and stimulating tasks and providing plenty of feedback.  Students can open doors and build lifelong professional connections if they do a great job as interns. 

Could you describe or share a successful example or story about students working with the City?
Here are a few Santa Clara University students who had internships in the past few years and transitioned to public sector jobs in San José: