Public health is getting a shot in the arm in Pima County as Public Health AmeriCorps places college students straight into the thick of the industry. Interns descending primarily from the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona are getting to actively shape the community's future while beefing up their resumes. Matthew Kopec, a recruitment and retention coordinator at PCHD, emphasized the symbiotic nature of the internships, explaining in a statement obtained by Pima County Newsroom, "The interns have helped increased the Health Department’s capacity to serve the public at large."
The students have not only got to add genuine value, but they've also been given a rare chance to steer their own projects. Kopec described the internships as being rich with opportunity: "We have a spot for almost everyone’s interests." Those words seem to live up to the experience of intern Jacqueline Larson, who told Pima County Newsroom, "I wanted to engage with the community and work alongside others who are passionate about preventing sickness and disease and ensuring the health and well-being of all people."
Larson, an AmeriCorps environmental health technician intern, did more than just her assigned tasks. She developed an additional module aimed at bolstering training for future interns and workers, something she felt "passionate about wanting to do." Larson, graduating with a bachelor's in public health with a One Health emphasis, found her work with PCHD instrumental in building confidence "knowing that I will continue to gain and improve skills that will be beneficial when entering the workforce."
Meanwhile, Sailor Hutton, another AmeriCorps intern working on Employee Training and Development, set up the celebrations for National Public Health Week at PCHD. Showing the diverse applications of the internship, she told Pima County Newsroom, "I wanted the opportunity to gain real world public health experience as well as the opportunity to have a positive impact on the health and wellness of the PCHD employees." Her time as an intern strengthened her future career trajectory in community health improvement.
The next batch of internships, running from Labor Day 2024 to Memorial Day 2025 and offering 10 slots, beckons college students for a 20-25 hour week commitment with details available on Pima County's official website. And though the deadline for paid summer internships has passed, with 10 slots divvied between undergrad and grad students, the health department encourages future hopefuls to apply early for the next round. Unpaid intern positions, also offering valuable industry experience, accept applications on a rolling basis.
