Bolingbrook Village Trustee Offers Summer Internship For HS Student

BOLINGBROOK, IL — For high school students interested in government, Bolingbrook Village Trustee Michael Carpanzano is looking for a summer intern. The internship is unpaid, but will give a chance to experience Bolingbrook through the lens of an elected official.

Carpanzano, who will soon begin his second term in office as a Village Trustee, said the intern will be tasked with engaging and attending local government meetings and community events.

The intern will complete pre-work on researching the topic/business/organization and then conducting post-work directly with Carpanzano, he told Patch.

"Some of that post-work may include helping bring greater awareness and visibility to a topic important to residents (i.e. items approved at Village Board Meetings), or maybe identifying ways to philanthropically support a local cause or non-profit organization," Carpanzano added.

The application is due on April 22, and the intern will be notified by mid-May. During June and July, the intern would be paired with Carpanzano.

The internship would be two to four hours a week, at most.

Carpanzano said he wanted to offer the internship for two main reasons.

"One, civic engagement should be a priority for our local youth as that raises up society as a whole," he said. "And two, not only does this opportunity allow local students to learn what local government is all about, but it gives them an ability to network with and meet community advocates, other public officials, business owners, non-profit leaders, neighbors, and more."

"Mentorship of the student is a huge part of this initiative, hoping that the student actually gets more out of this experience than myself," Carpanzano added.

He said that the community will benefit from an informed and engaged youth.

"Not to mention, public office gets a bad reputation sometimes - this will allow a student to see the positive side of serving your community in elected office," Carpanzano told Patch.

You can apply for the internship online.