The Rocklin City Council awarded 12 students from Rocklin and Whitney High School $500 for their participation in the Summer Civic Career Program (SCCP) on Aug. 27. The city of Rocklin, in collaboration with the Rocklin Unified School District and the Rocklin Educational Excellence Foundation (REEF) put together this yearly program to introduce incoming seniors to the behind-the-scenes of local government in an interactive and challenging environment.
In early April, 24 students from Whitney and Rocklin High School submitted their resumes and essays to take part in this opportunity. Every step of the process to get selected offers students real-world experiences. For instance, students also had to attend interviews to secure their spots. The staff took detailed notes of the interview to provide feedback for selected students at the end of the program. A selected student from Whitney High School, Emilie Moriswala, encourages future applicants to “just be yourself at the interview. When interviewed, explain why you truly want to be in the program and discuss why it would benefit you and your future goals.”
From 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, students interned at many of the city’s programs and departments, including the Police, Fire, Public Works, and Community Development Departments. To ensure an engaging and fun experience, every department created an interactive activity to teach students what it truly takes to run a city and how every department works together to create a thriving and safe community. Rocklin High School Student Brook Moniz said that Community Development was her favorite department to learn about.
“It was fascinating to see the infrastructure development of our city,” she said. “Things are always much more complex than they appear to be.”
Many programs took students on field trips to show how their department functioned in real life. Rocklin’s Code Enforcement division took students to work on an active case, and the Parks and Recreation Department took students to Quarry Park to zipline for free.
An integral part of the program required students to take detailed notes on every department they interned at. These notes served as the outline for the essay students were required to write. Upon successfully completing the program and essay, students were eligible for the $500 scholarship awarded at the City Council meeting.
In his speech addressing the selected students this Tuesday, Council Member Ken Broadway’s speech marked the official end of the program. Broadway told students he hoped they would each use what they gained from the program to be a “catalyst for positive change.”
“Stay curious, stay engaged, and most importantly, stay committed to those values that drove you to engage in this program,” he said. “The world is eagerly waiting for each and every one of you young adults.”
