Past Internships

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Pierce County's Internship Program is designed to provide a meaningful and educational work experience, honing your skills and expanding your professional network along the way. Internships are full-time, paid positions for the summer. There are potential openings in departments such as Human Resources, Communication, Parks and Recreation, Human Services, Finance and more! An internship with Pierce County is your opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives every day, as each employee plays a role in supporting a livable Pierce County.

  • Vision
    In partnership with educational institutions, Pierce County delivers a realistic and diverse work experience that bridges college to career. 
  • Mission 
    Interns gain knowledge, skills, and abilities through collaboration and mentorship that will help to develop and sustain our future workforce. 
  • Values
    • Innovation – Thinking outside the box; trying better ways to accomplish a goal.
    • Integrity – Open, ethical, honest and fair in all we do, and words and deeds match up. 
    • Public Service – Focus on providing customer service and acting as good stewards of public resources. 
    • Respect – Show regard or consideration for someone’s rights and/or opinions, as well as a variety of cultures and lifestyles.
    • Teamwork – Cooperative effort by a group or team.

Intern Profiles

IMG_4395-2Kelly Quiroz – Parks and Recreation Intern
Saint Martin’s University | 2019
B.S. in Environmental Studies

Kelly's projects included creating a native plant guide and providing research on the history of indigenous populations in Cross Park and the Naches Trail Preserve. Her research is used to provide reference and information for park programming. This internship has allowed her to interact directly with people in the county and work with those who aim to make it better. Read Kelly's full interview here. 

IMG_4408-2Alex Moore – Parks and Recreation Intern
Pacific Lutheran University | 2019
B.S. in Biology, Minor in Environmental Studies

Alex's projects were primarily focused on problems surrounding tree maintenance within our parks. She created a guide for maintenance workers on how to properly take care of trees. She also worked with GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to assess the trees in our parks. Alex found her work meaningful with the Parks and Recreation Department, since it impacts things that people enjoy and even learn through in Pierce County. Read Alex's full interview here.

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Danielle Rodriguez – Finance Intern
University of Puget Sound | 2020
B.A. in Business Administration, B.S. in Economics

Danielle’s projects came from a wide variety of divisions within the Finance Department. She assisted Purchasing in setting up a new bid system and helped General Services start moving towards a paperless form ordering system. She also performed several audits of County function, including an audit of funding for affordable housing in Pierce County. She has enjoyed her internship as it allowed her to be more connected with the community. Read Danielle's full interview here.

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Ellis Collison – Communication Intern
University of Puget Sound | 2020
B.S. in Computer Science and Economics 

Ellis's projects involved making the call center more accessible using the Alexa app and worked on a mapping app to help people comfortably navigate around the County City Building. He loved interning with Pierce County, because the people he worked with truly cared about him and his success. Read Ellis's full interview here.


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Allie VanBenschoten – Family Justice Center Intern
Pacific Lutheran University | 2020
B.S. in Psychology, Minor in Social Work

Allie's position involved research on Housing First best practices to help shape the center to have a more Housing First approach. She also went to Protection Order Court to stand with petitioners and provide them with moral support and information on safety planning. Allie is glad to have had this internship, because it was a great opportunity for her to apply what she has learned in school and see multiple perspectives of the County. Read Allie's full interview here. 

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Emma Pearson – Human Resources Intern
Washington State University | 2019
B.A. in Business Administration, HR

Emma's work as a Human Resources Intern consisted of researching, creating, and updating course materials for training. She actively worked with various departments within Human Resources. Emma really enjoyed working on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative as she felt she was making a positive impact. She enjoyed her internship, because of the knowledge she has gained about the HR field and the connections she has made with County employees. Read Emma's full interview here. 

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Miles Cameron – Human Services Intern
University of Washington Tacoma | 2019
B.A. in Sustainable Urban Development

Miles's projects involved creating a resource map for the County website which will help direct community members on where to go for the resources they need. His favorite part about interning for the County was the opportunity to venture out to communities beyond Tacoma, he was able to focus in on communities that don’t have access to resources that people living in the city do. Read Miles's full interview here.