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Ģ����Ƶ University students learned about internship opportunities and other programs available to them at a special event in September and also heard from fellow students about their internship experiences.

The students are all members of the Ģ����Ƶ University Urban Planning Student Association (UPSA) who attended an information session with the on Sept. 25.

At the special event, the OHIO students heard from Alli Mancz, intern program coordinator at MORPC and OHIO alumnus, as well as their UPSA peers who participated in the commission’s Local Government Summer Internship Program this past summer.

The Ģ����Ƶ University UPSA chapter currently has 37 active members. Members come from a variety of academic backgrounds, including urban planning and sustainability, environmental science and sustainability, Honors Tutorial College environmental studies, civil engineering, and other majors within the Department of Geography. The organization provides opportunities for students to connect with planning professionals, explore career pathways and engage with local planning initiatives within Athens and throughout Ģ����Ƶ.

Mancz opened the information session by detailing the role that MORPC has in planning for Central Ģ����Ƶ’s rapid growth. According to Mancz, the organization represents a 15-county region and works with 90 member communities on issues including transportation, sustainability and local government capacity-building. 

Mancz shared the mission behind the organization's work.

“Let's grow better as we grow bigger,” she said.

She highlighted this work through various initiatives such as passenger rail studies, trail development, regional water collaboration and air quality monitoring.

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Mancz then turned the students’ attention to the commission’s Local Government Summer Internship Program, a way for students to get involved in MORPC’s various regional initiatives. This program has grown from just nine students in 2015 to 50 students in 2025. Mancz noted the highly competitive nature of the program, with 750 applicants, this past year, from a wide range of majors and academic backgrounds.

“Our hope is to build a talent pool within Central Ģ����Ƶ,” Mancz explained. “You will have the opportunity for mentorship…and then you’ll get exposure to…everything from field trips to social activities, and networking events.”

She added that the program not only gives students professional experience but also provides much-needed support to local governments.

“Being able to help…out with really important projects and having a lasting impact on the community really does happen in these internships,” Mancz said. According to Mancz, students who intern in the program are matched with local governments and communities across the Central Ģ����Ƶ region.

Gracie Vaughn, a junior who is a geography major and president of the Urban Planning Student Association, interned last summer in the Local Government Summer Internship Program and was matched with the City of Circleville. Vaughn described her work as wide-ranging and community-focused. The projects she worked on included creating newsletters, designing surveys, drafting a proposal for a community pool, and managing the city’s social media accounts.

“During my internship, I accomplished more than I thought was possible in three months,” Vaughn said. “MORPC and the City of Circleville staff provided me with the tools and support I needed to succeed in my dream field. These opportunities led me to fall in love with public service.”

Vaughn worked closely with Hannah Wynne, a city planner for the City of Circleville. Wynne is also an Ģ����Ƶ University alumnus.

"Hannah Wynne was an amazing resource during my internship,” she said. “I can confidently say that I not only received a great mentor but also a great friend.”

Vaughn also shared with her fellow students her personal experience with the program’s professional development aspect.

“MORPC hosted a magnitude of social and supplemental events to truly engage us fellow interns with the work we were doing,” she said. “Events such as a social media summit, career luncheons, and mixers allowed us to connect with members already in the field and explore our possible options.”

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Sydney Roseberry, a senior who is a geography major, spent part of her summer working with the City of Logan through the Local Government Summer Internship Program. In her role, she worked closely with the city’s code enforcement office to conduct property assessments and analyze urban indicators such as fire calls, crime rates and housing conditions.

One of her main projects focused on grading properties across the city to understand connections between housing quality and community issues.

Through her work as an intern, Roseberry learned how planning can directly support local decision-making.

“It just makes you realize how important these city initiatives are, and to have a city government like that to take care of things,” she said.

Roseberry also reflected on the importance of city planning for rural communities like Logan.

“Logan is a small city with less than 8,000 people…and dealing with all of those voices can be very challenging,” she said. “I realized at my time there that city government is imperative to the city functioning and providing people with the resources they deserve.”

Both Roseberry and Vaughn agreed that the work they did as MORPC interns set them up for the professional world.

Other UPSA members in attendance also reflected on the value of hearing from their peers.

“I really valued the MORPC presentation because it showed me my potential opportunities for the future and what my career might look like as a future urban planner,” said Sophia Kuhar, a junior who is an Honors Tutorial College geography student. “It was also inspiring to see the amazing work Gracie and Sydney did over the summer and how their experiences differed.”

Roseberry emphasized the value of experiential learning she received as an intern.

“It was valuable to be around professionals and see how they conduct themselves day to day,” she said.

Vaughn added that the experience was extremely helpful for her, too.

“MORPC helped guide me into the planner I dreamt I would be…I have made countless connections through this program and am eternally grateful for this opportunity,” she said.

Vaughn encouraged all students interested in this program, MORPC, or planning in general, to reach out to Mancz.

“Alli Mancz is an incredible resource for anyone interested in planning or any related field,” she said. “I am lucky to have worked under her while at MORPC.”