Joella Byerley, COL ’24, Easton, PA
This summer, I had the opportunity to work with the Managing Director’s Office of Health and Human Services (MDO-HHS) for the City of Philadelphia. The department develops strategies for cross-agency collaboration to help improve the health of Philadelphia residents. This internship gave me the opportunity to learn about and experience government operations, project management and implementation, policy-related research, and community engagement. During my time with MDO-HHS, I also had the chance to work with a variety of departments within the Department of Health and Human Services. Some of these departments included the Mayor’s Commission on Aging (MCOA), the Office of Domestic Violence Strategies (ODVS), and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities Services (DBHIDS).
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience this summer and felt I had exposure to a wide variety of new subjects and programs!
One of the most substantial projects I completed this summer was a literature review for the Office of Domestic Violence Strategies. I gathered research pertaining to intimate partner violence (IPV), gun violence, and collateral victims, specifically children. Throughout the research and writing process, I gained a wealth of knowledge in this subject area and worked to create a more widely accessible memo/fact sheet to supplement the literature review.
I also supported the Mayor’s Commision on Aging by completing pre-screening interviews for the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), a government-funded community service and work-based job training program for low-income adults over 55. This gave me the opportunity to engage with the community and direct them to resources they needed. I also completed a wide variety of work to support Philadelphia’s role in Pennsylvania’s Master Plan for Older Adults. I did research relating to individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), accessible-dwelling units (ADUs), and completed outreach to nursing homes in the Philadelphia region. I was able to learn about how the City and state are supporting “aging in place” for all Pennsylvanians.
Overall, I supported various projects throughout my internship, including but not limited to, writing a Bi-Weekly Report to the Mayor, organizing and attending a Criminal Justice-Related Debt Working Group, taking notes and minutes during eviction prevention and new health center meetings, and gathering information on future recruitment and outreach to universities in the City.
I had many positive experiences, gained a wealth of new skills and knowledge, and made invaluable connections with my fellow co-workers and community members. I would like to thank Penn Career Services and the donors whose support allowed me to have this fantastic opportunity!
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2023 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here
