By Ivaylo Pasev
Summer is here bringing warm weather and a new crop of Mikva Summer Fellows. All 63 of them hold internships across the City with elected officials including aldermen/women, state attorneys, attorney generals, clerks, city treasurers, state representatives, senators, and congressmen/women. Summer Fellows are high school rising seniors or recent graduates who know that learning extends beyond the classroom.
Through their summer internships, the Fellows are introduced to the various aspects and responsibilities of public service. They intern with an assigned elected official for 12 hours a week. In addition to this, Summer Fellows spend four to eight hours every week at leadership development workshops in the Mikva Office. They explore different leadership styles and the ways government touches our everyday lives.
During their busy summers, the Fellows explore the powers and responsibilities of the different offices in which they work. They are in search of tools and resources to pass on to their fellow peers, especially ways to develop an active relationship between young people and elected officials in these offices. By getting a behind the scenes look at the moving parts of Chicago politics, Mikva Summer Fellows learn communication skills in a professional environment and how decisions are made and impact communities. They’re also beginning to enter important political conversations and launch their own careers.
You can follow their journey on Mikva’s social media – #SummerFellows2018
