Castillo lands Edwardsville Township Parks and Recreation internship through PAPA program
PAPA graduate student Mary Castillo landed a Parks and Recreation internship at the Edwardsville Township. Her duties include advancing the Edwardsville Township Community Park, making it more accessible to the public and promoting the organization. Photo courtesy of Mary Castillo
Public Administration and Policy Analysis (PAPA) graduate student Mary Castillo landed a Parks and Recreation internship for the Edwardsville Township this spring, which was arranged as a contracted, paid position through her academic program.
Castillo said she likes her new position – what she calls “an extension of what I’ve done or what I continue to do” – and thinks Parks and Recreation in general is “a tough field” to break into.
“But I think in general if it’s something you want to do and you put your heart into it, you’ll find a way to make it happen,” Castillo said.
Her duties include advancing the Edwardsville Township Community Park, making it more accessible to the public and promoting the organization.
Current projects at her position include the renovation of an airplane on display in the township community park. She is also working on the Association for Disabled Adults (ADA) transition plan which is required in order for the agency to apply for grants through the state of Illinois.
The internship, according to Castillo, is a “reflection of what we do in PAPA classes.”
“It’s at the government level so it pertains a lot to what we learn in PAPA. You know how to work with the public…,”Castillo said.
One of the PAPA program’s core courses, Proseminar, according to Castillo, prepared her in how she thinks about government entities.
“I think in Proseminar that’s the understanding–you’re no longer one person doing something–it takes a whole department or whole township to get things accomplished,” Castillo said. “That’s a lot of what [the course] talks about -navigating through all the separate entities that happen,”
For instance, Castillo said when working on a grant, it has to go through different channels to make sure it reflects the township and has all the appropriate information.
“There’s other people now that have to come together to make it work,” Castillo said.
Castillo earned a bachelor’s in mass communications from SIUE and served as a student worker for The Gardens. She started the PAPA program in August.
According to PAPA Department Chair Drew Dolan he thinks it is an “excellent opportunity” for Castillo to gain professional experience in her career field.
“The internship is also a great opportunity for the PAPA to provide assistance and services to the community,” Dolan said.
Filed Under: Public Admin & Policy
