Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) offers 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.
Each year, SPU is home to seasonal and year-long interns who are making important contributions. SPUweb is featuring these interns and focusing on what they do, where they’re from, and what they’re learning.
Here’s our latest group of interns that we’re highlighting:
Taylor Fuller: Building Trust to Elevate Employee Work
School: University of Washington
Year in the fall & major: Third year of Communications Leadership Master’s Program
Summer or year-long intern? Year-long
Hometown: San Bernardino, California
Team or department and location of your internship: Community Affairs Division in General Manager’s Office in Seattle Municipal Tower
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I’ve learned the importance of building trust and empathy with colleagues and community members before implementing new strategies and programs. It is also essential to listen and include the voices of those who are directly impacted by the policy.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I hope to grow as a writer and strategic planner.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
Community Affairs is a team that seeks to highlight the impactful work of SPU’s employees and community partners through visual storytelling and branding to help improve SPU’s organizational culture. I enjoy learning from colleagues across different levels and lines of businesses who also value mentorship and equity in their everyday work.
Fun fact about yourself?
I enjoy hitting up local karaoke bars with friends. My go-to songs are “Jamming” by Bob Marley and “Wonderwall” by Oasis.
Shivangi Sharma: A Comedian Focused on Systems Work
School: Northeastern University
Degree: Seeking Master’s Degree
Hometown: India
Team or department: Systems and Performance, Project Delivery and Engineering Branch
What have you learned so far in your internship?
Applying theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I hope to learn more about management and analytical skills.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
I would describe my internship to my friends by saying that the view of the world and city through the government organization’s eyes is very different where you literally work for the people of the city. It’s more about giving the city its needs.
Fun fact about yourself?
I am a stand-up comedian when I am not studying or interning at Seattle Public Utilities.
Abbey Burnett: A Bicycling Fan Who Cherishes Collaboration
School: University of Washington
Year in the fall & major: Senior in Industrial and Systems Engineering
Summer or year-long intern? Two-year intern
Hometown: Bellingham, Washington
Team or department and location of your internship: Drainage and Wastewater Project Management Group in Project Delivery and Engineering Branch
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I’ve learned a lot about collaboration and the best way to work with the people around you to get things done. I’ve also become more cognizant of the responsibilities of the Utility to the community and how to balance the needs and responsibilities of several entities at once.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I hope to continue learning about City of Seattle processes and gaining insight from the project managers around me on how to prioritize important work and manage many critical things at the same time.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
I help the project managers with tasks relating to their projects. I’m also doing some more overarching things for the group like documenting standard procedures and creating consulting resources. I enjoy it a lot because I get to see the overall project management systems, but also how they’re applied on each project.
Fun fact about yourself?
I’m a huge fan of professional cycling!
Zane Mohamed: Working to Ensure Greater Equity at SPU
School: University of Washington
Year in the fall & major: Senior, psychology and business administration
Summer or year-long intern? Year-long
Hometown: Seattle
Team or department and location of your internship: Environmental Justice and Service Equity (EJSE) Team, which is part of the Corporate Policy and Planning Division in the General Manager’s Office in Seattle Municipal Tower
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I recently started this internship. During my short time here, I have been learning something new every day, from simple things like how to get around the building, where things like the break room and bathrooms are, to more detailed information like what the EJSE team does, what are the goals of the EJSE team, and how does the team get things done.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I hope to learn from my co-workers and fully embrace what’s ahead of me.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
I would tell my best friend my internship is for Seattle Public Utilities, specifically the Environmental Justice and Service Equity (EJSE) Team. From what I’ve learned in my weeks here, the EJSE Team makes sure SPU is equitable in every aspect of the company.
Fun fact about yourself?
I enjoy pop music from the 2010s.
Samantha Minkin: Learning About Our Water System’s Complexities
School: University of Washington, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance
Year in the fall & major: Second year of Master of Public Administration
Summer or year-long intern? Year-long
Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona
Team or department and location of your internship: Water Conservation in Water Line of Business in Seattle Municipal Tower
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I’ve had the opportunity to learn about the complexities of our water system and how we can efficiently use water, as well as our wholesale partners and how they play a role in partnership with SPU.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
Experience working in local government and just learning everything I possibly can!
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
I help people save water by installing more efficient toilets and catching leaks at home.
Fun fact about yourself?
I’m a huge NFL and college football fan – you can find me rooting for the Arizona Wildcats on Saturdays and the Cardinals on Sundays (regardless of how bad they are).
Miles Parker: Working to Bridge Disparities in Seattle
School: University of Washington, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance
Year in the fall & major: First year of Master of Public Administration
Summer or year-long intern? Year-long
Hometown: Whittier, California
Team or department and location of your internship: Environmental Justice and Service Equity (EJSE) Team, which is part of the Corporate Policy and Planning Division in the General Manager’s Office in Seattle Municipal Tower
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I have learned that SPU strives to serve its community members well.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I look forward to identifying ways to serve community members by bridging racial disparities in Seattle.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
The Environmental Justice and Service Equity Internship strives to create race and social justice training to develop strong diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) at Seattle Public Utilities. This internship program develops interns to think critically about DEIB and how it affects others and impacts them.
Fun fact about yourself?
I am a huge Doctor Who nerd and have watched the entire show, including lost episodes, from 1963-present. Alon-sy!
Chara Lynch: Recent Intern With a ‘Ton of Respect’ for SPU
School: University of Washington, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance
Year in the fall & major: Graduated in June 2024
Summer or year-long intern? Year-long (began in June 2023 and SPU internship recently ended)
Hometown: Seattle (go Bulldogs!)
Team or department and location of your internship: Corporate Policy and Planning Division in the General Manager’s Office at Seattle Municipal Tower
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I really appreciated how my internship allowed me to apply what I was learning in class while also letting me dive into topics I wasn’t covering in coursework. I learned a lot about how important being able to work across departments, divisions, and areas of expertise is when developing or implementing policy. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to facilitate an application to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which was successfully funded by the state Department of Health, to support the replacement of the Bitter Lake Reservoir.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I came in hoping to learn what it’s like to work for the government, since most of my prior experience is at nonprofit organizations, and to make connections to support my next chapter after graduating. I feel like I was able to do both and am leaving SPU with a ton of respect for the folks who show up every day committed to making a difference for our customers.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
My internship was an incredible learning experience. I got to dive into two different areas of work – Risk and Resilience and Access and Affordability – and support lots of projects within each. I feel like I got to build on my existing professional toolkit, stretch my skills in new ways, and learned a ton from my team and really everyone I interacted with throughout SPU!
Fun fact about yourself?
I love live music and (before COVID) averaged about a show a week. I volunteer with a local harm reduction group, Care Collective (carenw.org), at concerts throughout the Puget Sound. If you like electronic music – come volunteer with me!
Inayat Ali: Hopes to Gain Better Insight Into Public Projects
School: University of Washington (Bothell)
Year in the fall & major: Junior, Electrical Engineering
SYEP, summer, or year-long intern? Summer
Hometown: Turbat, Balochistan, Pakistan
Team or department and location of your internship: Resource Management Branch at Seattle Municipal Tower
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I learned about RedEye, GIS, and asset onboarding for drainage and wastewater. I delved into project management as well.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I hope to learn about the work environment of Seattle and public sector functioning, including how public projects are managed and the city is kept so clean, specifically during raining season.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
I help take care of your waste (sewer, solid waste, and storm water)
Fun fact about yourself?
I love outdoor games.
Minda Chen: Finds Engineering and Workflow Intriguing
School: University of Washington
Year in the fall & major: Junior, Environmental Engineering
SYEP, summer, or year-long intern? Year-long intern
Hometown: Seattle
Team or department and location of your internship: Water group within CIP Design of Project Engineering and Delivery Branch
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I’ve learned a lot about the structure of SPU. Additionally, how the flow of work proceeds when water mains have to be repaired and the length of time those projects take.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I want to learn more about the hard engineering aspects of projects (how engineering reports are put together, designing in CAD, etc.) as well as more about the interactions between different groups within SPU.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
A very eye-opening experience into the public sector. There’s a lot of opportunities to explore, different work, and everyone is super nice and helpful.
Fun fact about yourself?
My suitcase has been confiscated multiple times while going to chess tournaments because a chess clock looks like a bomb on the security screening.
Colleen Clayton: Engaging Residents About Project Benefits
School: University of Washington
Year in the fall & major: Second year of a Master’s program in Urban Planning and Design
SYEP, summer, or year-long intern? Year-long intern
Hometown: Seattle
Team or department and location of your internship: Project Delivery and Engineering Branch, Community Outreach, at Seattle Municipal Tower
What have you learned so far in your internship?
Gaining insight into the large, complex web of city departments and divisions has been fascinating, and I’m learning a lot about SPU’s various capital projects, including the rationale and community benefit and impact, to the various players and timelines involved in bringing them through the planning, design, and construction cycle.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I’ve never worked in the public sector before this. Since I’m new to the field of urban planning and design, I’m still getting a feel for what type of environment is most aligned with my workstyle and goals for this stage of my career. The insight this internship has provided and the connections I’m making have been really helpful!
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
I support a team that ensures the community is appropriately notified and kept informed of major SPU projects in their neighborhoods. We help communicate the benefit of such projects while working to mitigate the impacts to the extent possible.
Fun fact about yourself?
I have a rescue dog from Texas, who was born on the exact day I moved to the Emerald City, and named Emerald before I even adopted her. She is my soulmate puppy and best pal!
Mike Ramsay: Helping Elevate Reusable Dishware in Seattle
School: University of Washington
Year in the fall & major: Senior, Geography: Data Science
SYEP, summer, or year-long intern? Year-long intern
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
Team or department and location of your internship: Solid Waste, Commercial Program at Seattle Municipal Tower
What have you learned so far in your internship?
So far, I’ve learned a lot about the importance of recycling, composting, and reuse in reducing our impact on the environment and improving our sustainability. I’ve also been able to explore some of the city’s infrastructure and systems in place that manage all this material and waste.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I hope to gain a better understanding of how utilities and services are made accessible to people and just learn more about what the various departments do within SPU and the City of Seattle!
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
I deliver bins and proper signage to businesses around Seattle. I’m part of the Reuse Seattle team, too. So, I help coordinate and supply reusable dishware to events and businesses around Seattle. I also get to go to lots of cool events and fairs around the city!
Fun fact about yourself?
I can ride a bike with no hands!
Sebastian Raymond: Enjoying Learning About Seattle’s Drainage Systems
School: University of Washington
Year in the fall & major: First-year graduate student in Public Administration
SYEP, summer, or year-long intern? Year-long intern
Hometown: Kaiserslautern, Germany
Team or department and location of your internship: I work for the Source Control and Pollution Prevention team, in general, but I work directly for the Investigations and Wastewater Source Control team on the Investigations side of the Drainage and Wastewater Line of Business.
What have you learned so far in your internship?
I have really enjoyed getting to know the geographical makeup of drainage systems throughout Seattle, with some areas having more clustered issues than others. In response to those site visits and data observations, it has been amazing to understand the processes in place to find solutions to these issues, especially recurring ones or more unique scenarios.
What do you hope to gain from your internship?
I have been lucky to get to know what other teams do and how their work relates to ours, and I would like to expand on that for the rest of the year. My mentor has been talking to me about some sites that require more in-depth research or collaboration across teams. So, I am excited to see how we can come up with sustainable solutions to very nuanced cases.
How would you describe your internship to your best friend?
When people in Seattle have drainage or wastewater issues, they reach out to our team, and we try to find a home for them.
Fun fact about yourself?
I was able to remember every country’s name, flag, and capital when I was like 10.