Paid Internships

About Pierce County Internships

A career with Pierce County is an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives every day. Each employee plays a role in supporting a livable Pierce County where people choose to live, work, play, and are proud to call home. Whether you are serving our great community by providing public resource maintenance, social services, administrative support, legal advocacy, or protecting our community, you are joining a team aimed at working together to achieve a thriving Pierce County.

Learn about our mission vision & values

  Contact Us

Human Resources

Public Services Building (Annex)
2401 S 35th St, Rm 121
Tacoma, WA 98409

Contact
Phone: (253) 798-7480

Program Benefits


Our Summer Internship Program is designed to provide hands-on work in a specific role, division, and department within the county, while also offering interns the chance to see firsthand much of the work being done in other departments, as well offering a variety of professional development opportunities. Our interns are here to learn and grow during their time with us. Some of the specific benefits of our program are below: 


Pay - We are proud to have a paid program that is well above minimum wage. This allows our interns to be able to gain this experience and be compensated fairly. 
 
Experience - Twelve weeks of real, meaningful, and valuable work experience. Interns are not here to get coffee or make copies, but instead will gain hands-on experience in an area you are interested in.

 

Mentorship - Interns are assigned a mentor within their division. This is to ensure interns have someone to go to for work-related questions, who is not their acting supervisor. The mentor is there throughout the internship to offer support and guidance as needed.

Past Internships


Sustainable Transportation Outreach Intern
Weatherization Intern
Policy Research and Legal Intern
Parks and Trails Planning Intern
Juvenile Court - Dependency Intern
Autopsy Technical Intern
Building and Code Enforcement Intern
Communications and Videography Intern
Data Analytics Intern
Environmental Education Intern

2023 Interns


Alexa Potter

Alexa Potter – Environmental Education Intern

Pitzer College | 2025
B.A. in Environmental Analysis and Gender Studies

Alexa’s project this summer was building a community asset tool that will aid in the formation and maintenance of environmental and outdoor education. The tool is highly interactive and allows educators to learn more about possible education opportunities by virtually stepping into the sites in 360 degrees. She got to learn new technology such as Thinglink, GIS, Insta360, and more, to bring to life a framework that others can use to make online governmental resources more accessible and user friendly. She is proud of her work and thankful for her time at Pierce County because any new way of removing barriers and supporting the community is a huge win.

Mason Hap

Mason Hap – Parks and Trails Planning Intern

University of Washington Tacoma | 2024
B.S. in Urban Design

Mason’s projects involved researching public engagement strategies for a future park development. He also had an independent, self-chosen research project about how marginalized groups experience green space. As a part of his research, he went on multiple site visits to future parks and trails that will be developed and attended meetings to discuss the parks and trails being developed. Mason enjoyed the glimpse he got into the planning process, as well as seeing how this work can benefit community access to these public outdoor spaces and prioritize community voices in the planning process.

David Ssali

David Ssali – Building and Code Enforcement Intern

Whitworth University | 2026
B.S. in Engineering and Applied Physics

David’s projects involved playing a crucial role in reviewing construction plans for compliance with building codes and zoning regulations. He meticulously analyzed designs, ensuring adherence to safety standards and sustainable practices. David collaborated effectively with the county’s architects, contractors, and local authorities to address concerns during the design phase, contributing to the successful execution of construction projects. With his newfound experience and knowledge, he looks forward to contributing further to the betterment of communities in his future endeavors.

Rebecca Higbee

Rebecca Higbee – Data Analyst Intern

Utah State University | 2024
B.S. in Statistics, Minor in Math

Rebecca's projects focused on maintaining and improving Open Pierce County, a data-driven dashboard intended to help the public understand the some of the innerworkings and keep Pierce County accountable to its goals. She created a protocol that found old information on the website so that it could be removed, created a story page with graphs and charts about the protocol she built, and individually went through content on Open Pierce County to make sure it was up to County standards. She loved interning with Pierce County because the people she worked with truly cared about her and her professional development.

Hannah Isomura

Hannah Isomura – Juvenile Court Dependency Intern

Azusa Pacific University – 2024
Master’s in Social Work Candidate, B.A. in Business Management, Minor in Sociology 2022 

Hannah’s primary role in the Juvenile Court was being a case aide for the County’s Guardian ad Litems (GAL) and volunteer advocates. She aided in conducting home visits to ensure safety and advocate for the child’s best interest, sat in on various meetings in order to take notes for GALs, and observed court. Additionally, Hannah worked on archiving and organizing donations, along with working on projects to engage the children in dependency with positive youth development programs. Hannah enjoyed the opportunity the Juvenile Court gave her to learn about the system and court processes along with playing an active role in impacting the lives of youth and families within Pierce County.


Kelsey Lyons

Kelsey Lyons – Autopsy Technical Intern

University of Washington Tacoma | 2024
B.S. in Biomedical Sciences

After completing her undergrad this Winter, Kelsey aspires to obtain her Master’s at a Physician’s Assistant Program to further her career in Pathology. She spendt her time at the Medical Examiner’s Office observing and assisting with autopsies and refining skills including sample collection and fingerprinting. Kelsey describes her time with Pierce County as an experience that would be hard to come by and offers a new appreciation for the inner workings of the departments. She enjoyed taking part in the daily tasks of the Medical Examiner’s Office, gaining hands-on experience, and serving her community.

Headshot of Gil Gepte

Gil Gepte –Sustainable Transportation Outreach Coordinator Intern

Western Washington University | 2023
B.A. in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development

Gil's projects focused on reactivating marketing and outreach strategies for Ride Together Pierce's rebrand launch. He deployed the Walk Everywhere Challenge marketing campaign for the community, helped with updating website content and newsletters, coordinated and planned community engagement logistics with consultants. Gil's favorite part of the internship at Pierce County was the chance to network, go on multiple site visits and tours, attend workshops, while working on diverse assignments and projects in a single summer.

Karen Lin

Karen Lin – Policy Research and Legal Intern

University of Washington Tacoma | 2023
B.A. in Economics and Policy Analysis

Karen’s project involved building an inventory for the numerous housing programs available in Pierce County. She used Excel to format the inventory, organized the resources into different categories depending on the housing situation of individuals, and created a section to separate intervention programs from providers. This inventory will be used for inquiries at the Council’s Office. Karen had a great time learning and meeting new people during this internship. It has made several positive impacts and helped inform what she has planned for her future career path.

Kimberlee Trujillo

Kimberlee Trujillo – Human Resources Intern

George Fox University | 2024 
B.A in Business Administration and Business Management 

Kimberlee’s projects were focused on observing core functions of all four department divisions within Human Resources. That process gave her the opportunity to have a better understanding of the work she may want to do in Human Resources once she graduates from college. Then, Kimberlee attended multiple career and community events engaging, with a variety of diverse backgrounds in the community to discuss job opportunities at Pierce County. Lastly, she has observed, facilitated, and co-instructed Legal and Effective Interviewing for other Pierce County employees. This project specifically focuses on Organizational Development and Training Division within Human Resources and provided the opportunity for Kimberlee to enhance her knowledge in DEI and the recruitment process of future County Employees. Kimberlee has enjoyed being an Intern for Pierce County and hopes to come back to work in Human Resources one day!

Sydney Lewis

Sydney Lewis – Communications and Videography Intern

University of Arizona | 2023
BA in Film and Television Production, Minor in Communications

Sydney’s projects included shooting videos, sorting through footage, editing sequences together, and creating the intern video. Sydney was a critical part of the intern’s culminating project, a video presentation to the Pierce County Council. She coordinated, filmed, interviewed, edited, and helped the intern cohort stay on track.  She has enjoyed her internship because she has been able to create projects that showcase the beauty of Pierce County, and she has learned a lot.  

Interns In Action


Program Information


Application Process

  • Oct/Nov – Pierce County departments/divisions apply to host an intern.
  • Nov/Dec – HR team selects departments/divisions that will host interns.
  • Dec/Jan – Internships are posted, and applications are accepted/screened.
  • Jan/Feb – Interviews (phone screening and in-person) are scheduled.
  • March – Interns are selected and offers are extended.
  • June – Program begins first week of June.
  • August – Program ends last week of August.