While many college students planning a career in politics/government are spending their summer vacations interning in places like Washington D.C. or Lansing, Roberta Payne decided to see how local government works.
The 21-year-old Oxford Township resident recently completed a 150-hour (or 4-week) internship at the Oxford Village government offices.
‘I learned what local government is really like,? said Payne, a Grand Valley State University student, who will begin her senior year in the fall. ‘You don’t really get a feel for it when you’re in college.?
Payne has a double major in political science and public administration. ‘It’s so different from textbooks. You can’t write a textbook about how local government works. It’s different when you add people to the mix.?
Some of the ‘real life experience? Payne obtained included taking minutes at council meetings; creating a database listing every council resolution from the last two years by subject; purging records and filing; setting up water meter appointments; stuffing envelopes for absentee ballots; and attending other government meetings like the Oxford Public Fire and EMS Commission and the Polly Ann Trail Management Council.
One of the things Payne, a 2001 graduate of Our Lady of the Lakes High School in Waterford, learned was how much the public interacts with their government offices.
‘I had no idea how many people rely on these government offices,? she said. ‘My first day the phones were ringing off the hook, like they do all the time. People call about everything.?
Payne said people call for phone numbers, to ask ‘lots of questions? and lodge ‘every complaint that they have.?
One person called from their vehicle to complain about a traffic backup on M-24 due to some utility work, she said.
Payne also got to see how ‘personal? local government is compared to the higher levels.
‘The thing that stuck out to me the most was how everybody knows everyone that comes in here by name, knows their whole life story,? she said. ‘I think that’s what sets it apart from big government. People come in and talk about all their ailments, ask about family members . . . We joked that it’s kind of like a barber shop.?
Payne said she ‘didn’t realize? how big a role finances play in local government.
‘Political science classes don’t talk about the money-side of local government,? she said.
When asked if she plans to pursue a career in local government, Payne said she’s not sure what she wants to do with her degree.
After she graduates from college, Payne plans to spend a year volunteering and helping others with AmeriCorps.
‘I hope that will point me in some direction,? she said.
Payne was voted the ‘Most Outstanding Junior Leader of the Year? for 2004 at Grand Valley State and will be attending the Governor’s College Student Leadership Forum in June.
She’s a member of Omicron Delta Kappa (National Leadership Honor Society) and Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society).