Shonali Vaidya: Diving into Community Issues at the Santa Clara County
This year, as I finish up my senior year at SCU, I have the opportunity to work as a Public Policy Intern in Santa Clara County District 3 Otto Lee’s office as a Public Policy intern to his Chief of Staff. Interning with a county organization is a completely new experience for me and I didn’t know what to expect going into my first day at the Santa Clara County office. To my delight, I was greeted and welcomed by all the staff members who were all curious to learn more about me and excited to have me help the team out. Wendy gave me tasks to work on right away which involved reading through reports about county statistics that were especially important to Otto Lee which included the yearly Silicon Valley Pain Index, a long list of statistics about the reality of living in the Silicon Valley. Reading through this report made me realize there’s a lot about Silicon Valley I had no idea about despite living in Santa Clara County for the majority of my life. Through talking with Wendy and other staff members, I began to understand some of the main issues in Santa Clara County that District 3 is specifically working on resolving-homelessness, public health, and racial equity, among many others. From each of the tasks that I’ve been assigned, I’ve gained more insight into these issues, how they impact Santa Clara County residents, and the work being done to address these issues.
Another aspect of working at the Santa Clara County office that surprised me was all the important work that each staff member contributes to support Otto Lee and fulfill their duty to serve the District 3 community. This includes putting forth and supporting policies that address the needs of the community in all areas such as mental and behavioral health, climate change, homelessness, etc. I found it really impressive how motivated and dedicated each staff member is to serve their community, even if it goes largely unnoticed. While I’ve just started to understand how decisions and processes are made, I’m excited to dive deeper into how Santa Clara County functions and how I can meaningfully contribute during the year as a Community Fellow. Overall, I hope to gain a new perspective about my surrounding community and learn how I can add value to the impactful work being done by the District 3 team.