This summer, we’ll be featuring real-time reflections from CIPA Fellows currently completing internships at organizations across the globe. This week, we’re hearing from Ellie Zhong (’14), who is concentrating in Economic and Financial Policy.
As a CIPA fellow concentrating in economic and financial policy, I was extremely excited to start my summer internship in the Finance Division at the Bureau of Parking at the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT). I cannot believe it has already been a month since I moved to New York City and began my summer internship!
My main task is to analyze revenue data (consisting of meter parking, permits, and garages) of all 5 boroughs of the city as well as the 
various expenses associated with the Bureau by creating metric models in Excel. I also attend meetings that the Assistant Commissioner has with the Finance Division. But before I started the data analysis, the first week on the job mainly consisted of visiting different departments of DOT. For instance, I visited the Meter Maintenance group, where all the parking meters are maintained and put together to be ready for installation in their actual locations. The sign shop, located within the Meter Maintenance group, is where all the street signs are produced.
I was very surprised by the size of the signs! They certainly don’t look this big when I am driving down the interstate!
I also visited Traffic Management with many other interns from DOT and had the opportunity to see the control room filled with screens that had live feed of numerous traffic intersections throughout the City.
Certain divisions within Traffic Management actually work jointly with New York Police Department (NYPD) and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). Throughout the presentation, there was discussion about the advantages and challenges when multiple agencies in both local and state level work together. This reminded me of discussions we had last year in Professor Tom O’Toole’s Public Administration class.
As a finance intern, I am not only building upon my analytical skills through my daily tasks, but I am also learning so much about DOT and the functions of city government in general. Oh what a wonderful and fruitful experience this is!