Internships

Students interested in completing an internship as part of their certificate or major should download the internship form and review the internship requirements. Complete the top portion of the internship agreement, have the intern supervisor complete their part of the internship agreement (along with their offer letter, if applicable), and schedule a time to meet with the Associate Director to go over the internship.

The Urban Studies Program does not have a regular set of internships for students; instead, internship opportunities from different organizations are often sent out to program lists.  In addition, students may approach community organizations or governmental agencies on their own. A number of students have returned to service learning sites they had as a student in Urban Studies 150 for longer internships.  Students may also register with Handshake to search for current internship opportunities in the Milwaukee area.

The Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership, and Research may be a good source for finding an internship. You may also be interested in Service Learning opportunities.

Liam Farin

Liam FarinOver the past nine months I have had the incredible opportunity to work as a Transportation Operations Assistant (fancy-speak for intern) with the Multimodal Unit within the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works. During that time, I have had the chance to work on many different projects within our unit, which has meant that what I work on during any given day can change drastically.

Most of my time I spent doing things like using ArcGIS to update the City of Milwaukee’s bike map tools and create a resource hub to allow residents to have more accurate and helpful routing tools at their fingertips. I also had the opportunity to work closely with the Senior Transportation Planner who manages the dockless scooter program, meaning I was able to collect data out in the field on scooter parking and use, prepare invoices for the scooter operator companies, and create monthly reports to inform alders about scooter usage within their district and the city.

Truthfully, the most impactful part of my internship was making connections with incredible movers and shakers within the Milwaukee community, whether they are City employees or community residents. Getting to attend events like the Mayor’s Bike Ride, meetings like those of the Pedestrian Bicycle Advisory Committee, or discussions about the City’s 2040 Mobility Plan have opened my eyes to just how much is happening in Milwaukee to make our streets safer for people of all ages and abilities. Working alongside the passionate and creative people who make this work happen has changed the way I think about city government and how change happens within our societal structures. I am eternally grateful to Mike, Marissa, Zac, Danya, Isabel, and Kyle for making the experience I have had with the City as impactful as it has been and am excited to continue working to improve micromobility options within our community.

Leean Le

This summer I had the opportunity to work with the Milwaukee County Transit System’s Planning department as an intern (taking urb std 497). The experience has been nothing short of educational and has allowed me to fully immerse myself (quite literally) into the streets of Milwaukee!

Through this opportunity, I’ve been able to gain critical GIS map-making skills that I hadn’t had previously, granting me hard skills that will benefit me in my future career. I learned the do’s and don’ts of transit planning when finding remedies to routes with the framework of putting riders and operators first, who are on the front lines of service, when making decisions. Furthermore, I engaged in panels in public facing meetings to inform the public on upcoming changes to routes and answered any questions that came up.

One other extremely exciting project was having a hand in planning Mobile Meetups, MCTS’ newest outreach effort to connect elected officials with their constituents onboard buses to have their voices heard! This project leverages the voices of those who wouldn’t otherwise have had a chance, which makes it all the more fulfilling! I also became a member of the Racial Equity Work Group in seeing how to engage and improve the nature of the agency for its diverse workforce.

Certainly, there are endless other projects that afforded me to be in spaces I never imagined to be in. The world of transit planning always has something new that will keep you on your feet! In all of this, my experience here has turned me into a fiercer advocate for promoting public transit as a tool to transcending the barriers of segregation to transform Milwaukee County into the healthiest county in Wisconsin! The MCTS Planning team has certainly stretched, challenged, and poured into me as an intern and I’m beyond grateful to have the opportunity to serve the community with the agency!

Sedgwick (Sed) Smith

BA Major in Urban Studies

Urban Studies major Sedgwick (Sed) Smith was showcased on the Talking Fitchburg program about his community development work as part of his summer internship in the City of Fitchburg.

Students have completed the following internships:

  • America’s Black Holocaust Museum
  • City of Elgin Planning Office
  • City of Fitchburg Planning Office
  • City of Milwaukee Assessor’s Office
  • City of Milwaukee Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO)
  • City of Milwaukee Mayor’s Office
  • City of Milwaukee Public Health Department
  • City of Sheboygan Planning and Development Department
  • City of Milwaukee Dept. of Business Administration
  • Center for Urban Initiatives and Research
  • Community First
  • Greater Milwaukee Foundation
  • Rep. Jonathan Brostof’s Office
  • Layton Blvd West Neighbors
  • Le Luz De Mundo Family Services
  • Milwaukee County Human Rights Commission
  • Milwaukee County Transit System
  • Milwaukee County Urban Affairs Department
  • Milwaukee Urban Gardens
  • NAI MLG Commercial
  • Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives
  • Riverwest Investment Cooperative (RIC)
  • Running Rebels
  • Sierra Club
  • Sweet Water Organic
  • Turnbridge
  • Water Council
  • Wisconsin Bike Federation

Majors have participated in their service learning at the following organizations:

  • 30th St Industrial Corridor
  • 5 Points Neighborhood Association
  • ACTS Housing
  • Alice’s Garden
  • Bublr Bikes
  • Burleigh Street Community Development Corporation
  • City of Milwaukee Dept. of City Development
  • City of Milwaukee Housing Authority
  • Escuela Verde
  • Ex Fabula
  • Growing Power
  • Havenwoods Economic Development Corp.
  • Hmong American Friendship Association
  • International Institute of Wisconsin
  • Johnson Park Neighborhood Association
  • La Casa de Esperanza
  • Latino Community Center
  • Layton Boulevard Neighbors West
  • Legal Action-Eviction Defense Project
  • Milwaukee Urban Gardens
  • Riverwest Food Pantry
  • Silver Spring Neighborhood Center
  • Southside Organizing Committee
  • The Gathering
  • Urban Ecology Center
  • Victory Garden Initiative
  • Voces De La Frontera
  • Walnut Way Conservation Corp
  • WasteCAP
  • Wisconsin Bike Fed