When I applied to intern with the City of Boston Streets Cabinet, I knew I was interested in cities, communications, and public service, but I didn’t fully understand what it meant to actually work in city government. Eight weeks later, I left the intricate concrete mass that is Boston City Hall with a much clearer picture: a handful of projects I’m proud of and a new sense of direction for my career.
My day-to-day was a mix of storyboarding, filming, editing, and researching, often for a few projects at once. I spent much of my time producing video and photo content for the Cabinet’s social media, which meant writing scripts, coordinating with different departments, scouting locations, and then editing everything into something that communicated clearly and looked good. I also spent time researching what media coverage already existed for ongoing projects, like the $25 million Blue Hill Ave redesign, so our team could understand what information was already out there and where our outreach could fill in the gaps.
One of the bigger efforts of the summer was supporting the city around the FIFA World Cup games hosted here in the Greater Boston area. Our team worked hard to get timely traffic advisories and closure updates out to residents, which meant staying on top of a constantly shifting set of logistics that were barely being communicated to us and turning them into something clear and easy for the public to follow. Through this process, I found myself gaining so much admiration for my coworkers and their ability to not only push information out to the public but to untangle it clearly for thousands of fans who were just looking for a way to get to the stadium.
I also got to use a design side of myself that I didn’t expect to lean on so much, and I surprisingly discovered a love for creating visuals. I authored and designed several infographics over the summer, including one for the Open Newbury Street events that span the whole summer as well as an Instagram post promoting it. I also designed a few photo carousels, including one celebrating our engineers for winning a prize for their work on the Bill Russell Bridge project. Along the way, I became much more proficient in Adobe, which I came into the internship hoping to build and left having actually built.
If I had to pick a favorite project, it would definitely be the Ellis Safe Routes to School event. The project focused on making the area around the school safer for children walking to and from school: more elevated crosswalks to improve pedestrian visibility and more speed bumps in the school zone to slow traffic. I helped document the community presentation through video and photos for social media, but the part that stuck with me most was getting to actually be part of the live demonstration, representing the new elevated crosswalk and speed bump for the kids and parents who came out. Watching the children’s faces light up as they understood what was changing and why was genuinely rewarding to me. It was a small moment, but it reminded me exactly why the Streets Cabinet’s safety work matters so much, and it will continue to resonate with me in the future. That day I learned this isn’t abstract policy; it’s a child’s route to school becoming safer.
Another project I’m especially proud of is a video I wrote and directed about moving truck permits, aimed at students and residents moving into the Allston-Brighton area near BU’s campus during the September 1st move-in cycle, one of the busiest moving days of the year in Boston. I focused on Ashford and Pratt Streets because I know the area well and have seen firsthand how much traffic congestion builds up during BU move-in day. This project in particular meant a lot to me because I got to see it through from start to finish, writing the script, blocking scenes, coordinating with different departments, recruiting someone to be the main character, and finally watching it all come together into a real, working post. Although my time with the City of Boston ended just as we wrapped filming, I’m so excited to see this video posted in the future and will be keeping a lookout!
Professionally, I grew the most in public speaking, teamwork, and community engagement. These skills came from being pushed into unfamiliar situations, like presenting at a community event in front of a sea of faces or coordinating a project across multiple departments with entirely different scheduling needs. I also came out with a much stronger command of Adobe’s creative tools and Canva, which I know will serve me well no matter where my career goes.
I think the most valuable part of this opportunity for me was how I think about the kind of work I want to do. This internship made me realize how much I want a career where I can interact with the people behind the numbers, the projects, and the screens. I want more opportunities to see who I’m actually helping, whatever field I end up in. Working at City Hall also gave me a completely new appreciation for the City of Boston itself. I was genuinely surprised by the caliber of people and their immense passion working behind the scenes to keep the city running.
When I first began at City Hall on that first day, I didn’t really know what to expect. Now I can confidently say I’m leaving with a much deeper appreciation for how local government actually works, along with a handful of projects I’m proud to point to. More than anything, after everything Boston has given me over my three years at BU, I’m grateful I finally got to give a little bit back this summer through work that felt tangible, visible, and genuinely useful to the people who call this city home.