Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) strives to be the best place to work in the city. Part of that involves offering internships so individuals can have career pathways to work with and learn from SPU’s 1,400 employees who serve the public every day. SPU careers include testing water, laying pipe, building infrastructure, and working on climate change issues.
This summer, SPU is home to seasonal and year-long interns who are making important contributions to our Utility and Seattle. Each week, our At Your Service blog will feature one of these interns and what that person is doing and learning.
To date, here is our group of featured interns:
Ketsia Kayembe: An Engineering Student Working on the Dam Safety Team
School: Seattle University
Year & Major: Junior, Civil Engineering
Summer or year-long intern? Year-long intern
Hometown: I was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). I spent most of my childhood in Lubumbashi, a city located in the southeast region of the DRC. Then, my family and I relocated to the country’s capital, Kinshasa, when I was 11.
Team or department and location of your internship: Dam Safety and Assets Management Team under Project Delivery & Engineering Branch (PDEB), Seattle Municipal Tower
What have you learned so far in your internship?
Since I started my internship, I have learned and sharpened various skills like professional communication, adaptability, technical knowledge, data processing, and analysis. This internship also is giving me a new perspective of how the knowledge and skills I developed through my studies are applied in real-life projects.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I hope to gain valuable work experience, confidence, refined and new skills, professional connections, as well as a path toward my future career.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
I would describe my internship to my best friend as a valuable learning experience where I get to see what it’s really like to work in the industry and bridge the gap between what I’ve learned in college and applying some of it in real life. This is also an opportunity to discover what I like more about the career I’m pursuing. This internship is giving me a perspective that I could not pick up just by reading or hearing about my career path.
Fun fact about yourself?
I’m a self-taught baker. I enjoy making birthday cakes and all sort of pastries for my friends and family.
Jim Gao: On Project Management and a Professional Setting
School: University of Washington (Bothell)
Year & Major: Junior, Business Administration
Summer or year-long intern? Year-long
Hometown: Beijing, China
Team or department and location of your internship: Project Controls Team under Project Delivery & Engineering Branch (PDEB), Seattle Municipal Tower
What have you learned so far in your internship?
During my internship so far, I have learned how to use Project Portfolio Management (PPM) and receipt purchase orders. I’ve also learned how to write a professional email and the norms of working in a professional environment.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I hope to learn crucial skills that will help me with my first permanent job. There isn’t a particular thing that I want to learn. I just want to learn and experience as much as possible.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
This internship is like a class that can help you learn and experience a wide range of work and what it’s like to work in a professional setting, as well as how the city government functions. The catch is you don’t pay to attend, but you get paid to attend it.
Fun fact about yourself?
I enjoy watching football.
Anne Fried: On Helping With Racial Justice and Equity
School: University of Washington, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance
Year & Major: Second year in master’s program, Public Administration
Summer or year-long intern? Year-long
Hometown: Kirkwood, Missouri
Team or department and location of your internship: Environmental Justice and Service Equity (ESJE) Team in the General Manager’s office
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I’ve been able to engage in different conversations about racial justice in the workplace, including training and discussions about microaggressions and how to address them, reading and discussing the Racial Healing Handbook, and working on a timeline of EJSE’s milestones.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I hope to connect meaningfully and intentionally with coworkers, gain experience and confidence in having conversations about race and social justice in the workplace, and better understand how to advocate for and support equity at SPU.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
I get to have conversations about racial equity, support other people’s learning as well as my own, and celebrate the work EJSE has already accomplished!
Fun fact about yourself?
I love going to bar trivia!
Marco Fernandez: On Working With Engineering Plans
School: Seattle Pacific University
Year & Major: Senior, Electrical Engineering
Summer or year-long intern? Year-long
Hometown: Seattle
Team or department and location of your internship: Engineering Plan Review, Seattle Municipal Tower
What have you learned so far in your internship?
Time management, hands-on work of an engineer and networking.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
More relationships within the city and connecting with more engineers.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
Looking at City of Seattle plans and reviewing them with specifications that match city requirements.
Fun fact about yourself?
I am part of the 1,000-pound club, a weightlifting term involving all compound lifts.
Yunkyung Choi: Gaining Insight About Project Management
School: Northeastern University
Year & Major: First year in master’s program, Project Management
Summer or year-long intern? Year-long intern
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Team or department and location of your internship: Drainage and Wastewater (DWW) – Project Delivery & Engineering Branch (PDEB), in Project Management
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I’m amazed by how SPU communicates with the community, especially how much SPU/PDEB think about the needs of the community, as part of the effort in providing the best infrastructure. I was touched by how much effort and consideration project managers put in when providing or improving infrastructures to underserved communities. I’ve also learned about the project processes and procedures in government facilities and values of SPU.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I hope to be able to be fluent in government project management processes, communications approaches, and to map out my future career path more clearly. I want to learn everything!
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
It has only been a month. So, I don’t know how I would feel by the end of my time, but I want to say it is a very precious learning experience. I also see it as a way to learn while contributing back to the community. Having the chance to contribute to improving everyone’s lives makes me feel good about myself. If doing something for the community or making a difference is your goal but don’t know where to start, interning at SPU might be a great opportunity.
Fun fact about yourself?
I love watching crime mystery documentaries.
Phan Ngoc Tuyen Chau (Emily): On Learning About HR and Applying Lessons
School: University of Washington
Year & Major: Graduate, Business Administration
Summer or year-long intern? Summer intern
Hometown: Seattle
Team or department and location of your internship: Human Resources Team
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I shadow each team member every week to learn more about their different roles.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I hope I can learn about what staff members are doing at SPU every day. I want to build relationships, come up with questions, reflect, and apply what I’ve learned.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
People are professional and nice.
Fun fact about yourself?
My voice sounds like a cartoon character.
Note: Chau completed her SPU internship on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
Abbey Burnett: On Collaborating, Project Delivery, and Engineering
School: University of Washington
Year & Major: Junior, Industrial & Systems Engineering
Summer or year-long intern? Two-years, started in Spring 2022
Hometown: Bellingham, Washington
Team or department and location of your internship: Project Delivery & Engineering Branch (PDEB), in Project Management & Controls
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I’ve learned a lot about city processes and how to collaborate effectively with other people. I’ve also gained a lot of personal skills relating to problem-solving and confidence in the work I produce.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I want to gain a better understanding of how jobs work in the “real world,” and how I can be effective at whatever I end up doing in the future.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
I help with utilities projects by drafting documents for city processes and connecting different people on the project, so I do lots of individual work but a lot of team activities as well.
Fun fact about yourself?
I can solve a Rubik’s cube, but I learned from a book from the 80’s. So, I’m very slow compared to today’s standards.
