"All politics is local," Thomas P. "Tip" O’Neill, the late Speaker of the House, famously said, and it’s an adage followed by a growing number of students at DePaul University who want to enter government service. Nearly 60 have interned in recent years with nine City of Chicago aldermen, an opportunity that provides them with firsthand knowledge of public policymaking at the local level that can be applied to future careers at all levels of government.

Their interest in government service reflects a growing trend among college students nationally. Work in government/public service was the top choice among 46 career fields in a survey of 32,000 American undergraduates conducted by the nonpartisan and nonprofit Partnership for Public Service last year.

The government service career path often starts with an internship, according to Carrie McAteer-Fournier, associate director of the internship program in DePaul’s Career Center. "Internships are instrumental in shaping students’ career interests and building a resume that will attract potential employers," she said.  "At the same time, they gain transferable skills and build a network of contacts that will help them achieve success in any career path they pursue." Strong community partnerships and a seamless internship placement process forged by the university’s Career Center and Office of Community, Government and International Affairs have helped the university connect many DePaul students to aldermanic internships, McAteer-Fournier noted.

At 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack’s office on Chicago’s North Side, DePaul interns research and help write proposed ordinances as well as perform "a wide array of constituent service activities, including fielding service calls and office visits, writing request letters to city departments, and tracking responses and service completion," said Paul Sajovec, Waguespack’s chief of staff. "They also do fieldwork to identify ward infrastructure needs and prioritize potential improvements based on the condition of streets, alleys and sidewalks."

The quality of the DePaul interns’ work "has been high and it is evident that they have received a well-balanced education," Sajovec said, adding that the alderman’s office benefits from the students’ familiarity with the latest software and technology.

DePaul alumnus Michael Di Lorenzo began working in Waguespack’s office as an unpaid intern, a position that evolved into a paid internship and then to a part-time paid position as an aldermanic aide following his 2007 graduation from DePaul with a bachelor’s degree in public policy with an urban studies concentration. "My current work includes anything from assisting with zoning and permitting tasks to fielding constituent service requests," he said. Di Lorenzo also has conducted extensive research on a tax increment financing open records ordinance and is updating development guidelines for the ward, which includes parts of the Lake View and Lincoln Park, two neighborhoods that have undergone rapid redevelopment over the past two decades. "It is a document that our office will eventually be able to use as a policy guide for growth throughout the ward," he said.

A native of Glenview, Di Lorenzo said the work provides firsthand insights that will be useful for his future career plans. "In being an urban planner, which is my aim, it will be critical to understand the political implications tied in with the planning process. The alderman’s office has opened my eyes to that side of the equation. There are always going to be conflicting aspirations among stakeholders, and I have learned a bit about the required balancing act and the art of compromise."

Di Lorenzo said working in an aldermanic office also builds a variety of other skills useful for any career. "I have certainly improved my ability to multi-task," he said. "Given the high frequency of calls and visitors our office receives on a regular basis, we are forced to juggle multiple issues at once. Also, in working for an alderman’s office, I am exposed to a wide range of people: residents, business owners, elected officials, city workers and community group representatives. This has unquestionably improved my people skills."

Despite the hectic pace, "it is always rewarding to assist constituents with often complicated and frustrating issues," Di Lorenzo said. "It is also very gratifying to be involved in substantive legislative and policy-oriented processes. Contributing to actual pieces of legislation that are eventually implemented is exciting." 

In the adjoining 43rd Ward, DePaul interns "are an extra level of staff—and every bit as essential," said Barbara Guttmann, legislative aide to Alderman Vi Daley. Interns serve an important role as "the face of the office," she said. "How they handle the public is very important."

Since many of the interns live in the ward’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, where DePaul’s main campus is located, they bring useful community insights to the job. "Interns arrive with recognition of the neighborhood and the types of concerns that our constituents report," Guttmann said. "DePaul students easily interact with residents and often serve as constituents’ first contact with this office. The students are reliable, friendly and quick to take on additional responsibility."

Kevin Rodevich, who earned a public policy bachelor’s degree with an urban studies concentration from DePaul in 2006, interned for Daley for two years while a student, and now he works for the alderman full-time as an aide making sure constituents are receiving good service from the city. "The internship gave me a great opportunity to see exactly what the job entailed," he said. "It not only gave me a preview of the duties and responsibilities of the position, but also it gave me the opportunity to get to know the people I would be working with on a daily basis.

"The best part about working in government is having the opportunity to help people," said the Houston native. "While working in government at a local level, you are often dealing with people on an individual basis, making the work much more personal.   

"My advice for students who are interested in government service is to look at the broad spectrum that government service covers," said Rodevich.  "Government service does not just mean working in politics or for a politician.  It can be as varied as being a police officer, a lawyer or a lobbyist.  There are numerous opportunities for people to be advocates and offer assistance to others."