Howdy! My name is Kenny Anderson, an MPA candidate at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Policy. I am a recent graduate of Ohio State’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs where I obtained my Bachelor of Arts in Public Management, Leadership, and Policy. This summer, my host site through the summer fellowship is at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) as a Water Research Fellow.

In my first week of work, it became evident that MORPC is a great organization. All throughout the office, there are kind faces who are eager to meet you and learn about you as a person. This was a refreshing experience for me as I haven’t encountered an organization who was this friendly and people oriented. To show an example, during my first week at MORPC, the office held a putt-putt golf tournament throughout the office. Staff was asked to build holes that reflected their work. Everyone in the building were then able to play these holes during work that day. This was definitely one of the most unique and creative community building techniques that I have seen in a professional setting. Even though I was completely new to the organization, I was able to meet many individuals who I would have never interacted with throughout my work. However, I am now familiar with individuals working in IT, economic development, community investments, and senior staff thanks to this event.

Beyond the tournament, MORPC also had their intern orientation. This is an event where interns get to network with one another and hear from senior staff about their operations and the organization as a whole. After this event, we were invited and honored at an economic developer networking session at a local brewery and eatery downtown. As someone who specializes in economic development and wants to pursue a career in this field, this was a fantastic opportunity. Developers from all around central Ohio introduced themselves to me and told me about pointers and lessons that they have learned throughout their time in the field. This networking event also allowed me to have a lot of 1 on 1 time with senior staff in MORPC as they tried to meet all of the interns.

All in all, this first week and a half have been fantastic. MORPC cares about their interns and their ability to be successful moving forward. I am loving the work that the organization is doing. Central Ohio is definitely lucky to have a regional planning commission as effective as MORPC.