APEX Fellowship | Thomas Pitney
Majors: Political Science and French & Francophone Studies
Class Year: 2024
Organization: Town of Shrewsbury
As an intern for the Town Manager of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, I will conduct research and write reports with the goal of optimizing the Town of Shrewsbury’s operations and structures.
Posted in Comments Enabled, Experiential Learning Showcase 2022 on November 16, 2022.
8 responses to “APEX Fellowship | Thomas Pitney”
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Related Areas of Study
Political Science
The study of power, with concentrations in U.S. politics, international relations, political theory and comparative politics.
Major MinorGlobal Impacts
Turn an interest in international service, economic development, NGOs and INGOs into a career
PathwayFrench & Francophone Studies
French language, literature and culture with study abroad and outside-the-classroom immersion opportunites
Major Minor
While I know you aren’t looking to work in a similar position in the future, I know you made a big impact on the town and its planning.
Thank you Thomas,
Has this experience helped to shape your approach to or continued work in local governance?
Thomas, it seems like you learned a lot through this experience. Thanks for sharing. Though you would probably have to sit at a desk sometimes, I wouldn’t pass on your future as mayor of Shrewsbury.
Thanks for mentioning how important reflection is to help you deepen the experience. It sounds like you worked on some really important projects.
Thank you Carly! I am very thankful to my supervisor, Town Manager Kevin Mizikar, for providing so many opportunities for me to do meaningful work for the Town. It was also a fantastic opportunity to understand how government functions overall!
Hello Dr. Sobeck,
Through my experience working with the Town Manager in Shrewsbury, I learned about the importance of public administrators to government functions. In many cases, elected officials do not have the time or the detailed knowledge of government functions to delve into policy nuances as often as appointed public administrators. Understanding this has made me more cognizant of the Town Manager’s role in Shrewsbury’s functions, and will hopefully allow me to be a more informed Town Meeting Member. Furthermore, I would like to apply my observation of how several actors within Shrewsbury influence policy outcomes to my IS. Specifically, I am interested in examining how power dynamics at the domestic level influence foreign policy decisions. At several levels, this experience changed the way I thought about government!
Hello Dr. Ozar,
Thank you for the kind words! This experience was very helpful in allowing me to consider different career paths. In particular, I found the research tasks of my internship to be the most interesting. For now, I am interested in pursuing a PhD in Political Science upon graduation, as I have found myself enjoying the Political Science research process. Regardless, this experience reminded me of the importance of local government to people’s daily lives, and I will continue to be actively engaged in my local community in the future.
Thank you Jenni for your comments. I am very glad that the APEX Fellowship provided so many opportunities for reflection. During my reflections, I thought about the role of local government in the Town of Shrewsbury, my own role in Shrewsbury, and my future career paths. If the structured reflections offered through APEX Fellowships were not included as part of my internship, I do not believe I would have gained as many important insights on these important topics.