Hello, my name is Aditi, and I was the communications intern for the Office of Sustainability and Environment for this past summer and fall. As my internship comes to a close, I wanted to reflect on what I did and learned over the past six months.
One of the biggest responsibilities I had during this internship was managing our social media accounts, and I focused on Twitter in particular. I think communication from the government to the people we serve on a platform that is accessible and easy to follow is very important and can help bridge the gap that can often exist between them. Paring down important information and communications to 280 characters can make it easier to digest and help us focus on what’s significant.
During this internship, I started a series on twitter that I called the OSE Happy Series. Every so often, I tweeted out some uplifting climate news or stories that emphasized and encouraged hope in the future of our planet. Climate change is scary, but there is still so much we can be and are doing right now, and I believe that fearmongering and nihilism only slows progress. I think important to remind people to be hopeful that we can still work to combat the climate crisis, and that it’s not too late. That’s why I really wanted to tweet out little bits of positivity whenever I had the chance.
I also wrote for this blog, which really allowed me to strengthen my writing skills. The posts that I am the proudest of are Reflecting on the Big Day of Play and Reflecting on the PNW Heatwave (they both start with the word reflecting… and so does this one… I must really like that word). I was able to put more a more personal touch on those and write about topics that particularly interested me. I also thoroughly enjoyed being able to chat with Alyssa Patrick for the former blog post.
Being an intern and working what was functionally my first office job during a global pandemic was a rather unique experience, but I am so grateful that I was still able to connect with the others in the office remotely, and even meet up with some of them at Gasworks Park once. I met some really impressive and amazing people in OSE. Some cool things happened at OSE and the City of Seattle while I was interning with them, like the executive order announcement on November 1st, Fresh Bucks launching electronic benefits, and the $1.7 Million budget announcement for oil-to-heat-pump conversations for low- and middle-income households. My experience with this internship has given me vital experience in government and public service, which is what I want to go into after I graduate from UW this spring.
I am so grateful for this experience, this office, and all the amazing people that I was able work with. Thank you!