Five hundred people applied, 16 were accepted, two of them graduated from the University.
Alumnae Rachel O'Shields, BA '09, and Elisabeth Wilkins, BA '09, began fellowships with the City of Houston's City Hall Fellows program Aug. 3.
City Hall Fellows is an independent, non-partisan national service corps program that gives students the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience inside the highest levels of local government, according to www.cityhallfellows.org.
O'Shields is working primarily with the Health and Human Services Department as well as the Emergent Needs Assistance Team for her supervisors, Algia Hickenbotham, division manager, and Thomasina Colbert-Noll, administration manager.
O'Shields said she is working on children's health initiatives, specifically with Kids Village, which is a collaborative effort to bring different services together, such as Project Saving Smiles and One Vision.
"I enjoy public service, which is one of the main reasons I did this fellowship," O'Shields said.
Wilkins had different reasons for joining the program. Her main interest is in clinical psychology, and she was placed in the program for her to explore that field.
She is working with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department as well as Facilities Management and Development for Mark Ross, deputy director.
Wilkins said she is spearheading a visitor-counting project in which she and her team will be collecting and analyzing demographic data from various Houston parks in order to assess how they can better facilitate the residents of Houston.
"Collecting and analyzing this data is extremely interesting, especially pertaining to clinical psychology," Wilkins said.
Dr. Randy Wilson, associate dean for the College of Arts and Humanities, said because of the small class size the University offers he was able to easily match her academic interest to this fellowship.
"It is not hard to imagine Elisabeth in the work place," Wilson said. "She was always serious about her work and getting prepared for the real world."
As City Hall Fellows, O'Shields and Wilkins have not only worked with different organizations but have also been given the opportunity through their Civic Leadership Development classes to meet local political and community leaders.
This includes Mayor Bill White, Houston's City Controller and mayoral candidate Annise Parker and Susan Young, president of South Main Alliance.
"I have gained a lot of respect for the city and seeing how many people it takes to make it function," O'Shields said.
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