It has been a blessing to be a part of the 2016 Cleveland Foundation Summer Internship Program. A select few receive this opportunity, and every morning I am reminded of how lucky I am. I am incredibly grateful to my supervisor Rebecca Corrigan for making this experience a memorable one. As the economic development intern for the Village of Fairport Harbor, I was in charge of a variety of development projects, including the Tall Ships of America Festival. These projects allowed me to expand my skills in areas I never thought I would explore and taught me important lessons in leadership.
I will leave my internship with a much deeper understanding of how local government works. While working within the unique environment of Fairport Harbor, I learned that many of the issues we deal with nationally are the same issues we have at the local level. This helped me better appreciate the importance of the state and municipal governments in our society and how they affect our daily lives.
The most important lesson I have learned in my summer experience is that you cannot please everyone. Through my conversations with government officials at my host site and City of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, I have learned that there will always be pushback when you try to make big changes or address our society’s core issues – it’s how you know you’re doing something impactful.
This summer, I developed a better understanding of how to promote economic development in our communities. I learned about all the nonprofit organizations and influential people in the Greater Cleveland area who truly care about their community and want to make a difference. Their stories inspire a new generation of leaders, thinkers, and philanthropists who will be called upon in years to come. I hope when that day comes, I am ready to take on the challenge.
Patrick Mohorcic, a junior at The College of Wooster double majoring in Business Economics and Political Science, is placed at the Village of Fairport Harbor. Patrick supports implementation of Fairport Harbor’s marketing plan and logistics ahead of the Tall Ships Festival in July along with coordination of a real estate developer’s forum to encourage new investment in Fairport’s downtown.
