Students looking to get their foot in the door of city politics
may be in luck, as this coming spring, second-year graduate
students from UCLA’s School of Public Affairs will be able to
apply to a yearlong fellowship in the mayor’s office.
The fellowship begins in the summer of 2007 and will last till
their graduation. Students will work full time over the summer and
part time during the school year, according to a press release.
Students will work directly with the senior staff in Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa’s office at City Hall, and will have the
option of working in several departments such as transportation,
education and public safety, said Torie Osborn, a senior adviser to
the mayor.
Efforts to initiate the project began six months ago, when David
Bohnett, a philanthropist, technology entrepreneur and the founder
of e-commerce company Geocities, hosted a small dinner at his home,
Osborn said.
In attendance at the initial meeting were staff members from
Villaraigosa’s office, as well as visiting UCLA Professor
Michael Dukakis, former governor of Massachusetts and a Democratic
presidential hopeful in 1988, she said.
Bill Parent, associate dean for advancement at SPA, said Dukakis
suggested the mayor’s office team up with the David Bohnett
Foundation to create a program in which students could deal with
situations throughout the city and get real experience in the
workplace.
Villaraigosa, who got a fellowship with a lecturer at SPA during
his time as a student at UCLA, believed such a program could be
mutually beneficial, said Osborn.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for graduate students
to learn about the inner-working of the mayor’s office, and
for the mayor it’s a wonderful opportunity to get the talents
of interested graduate students. It’s a win-win
situation,” Osborn said.
After six months of planning, a program was established by the
mayor, the David Bohnett Foundation and the SPA, according to the
press release.
“The mayor’s leadership for the city was one of the
main reasons (I chose to fund this program) and it gives
opportunity for the students to tackle the city’s
challenges,” said Bohnett, whose foundation is providing
$253,884 over three years for the fellowship.
Osborn said the three years covered by that funding will serve
as a pilot program.
The funding will also be used to provide salaries and cover
expenses for accepted students, also known as David Bohnett
Fellows. The fellowship plans to accept only three new fellows each
year.
The application and the process to choose applicants has not
been defined yet, said Parent, but the mayor’s office has a
strong sense of what qualities an applicant should have.
Osborn said the program would look at students’
qualification and experience. He described the candidate as
“somebody who has an interest in public service, and someone
(who) has an activist spirit,” Osborn said. “Somebody
who has a flavor of social activism or has been involved in
organizing or advocacy would certainly be a strong
applicant.”
“It really depends on the chemistry of the person,”
he added. “People who have a passion for change will fit
right in.”
Applications will likely require personal statements on
applicants’ interests and their expertise. Applicants will
probably be required to meet with staff and do a short interview as
well, Osborn said.
Parent said students may find themselves working on projects
that range from global warming to homelessness.
“We’re going to be looking at students’
experiences, and the concentrations that they’re taking and
try to match it up with the best opportunities in the mayor’s
office,” Parent said.
Mainly, students will get a chance to work in city government
and experience what officials do everyday, Osborn said.
Nate Miller, a first-year graduate student at SPA, said the
program seemed like a good opportunity for students.
“It sounds like a good move on the mayor’s part.
Plus, getting a paid internship is great. I feel like when you get
… paid, it’s that much more meaningful,” he said.