City showcases summer interns; students describe data and grant work

City officials introduced two intern speakers as part of a wider presentation on the summer internship program, which hosted 15 interns from Springfield-area colleges this year.

Luke Hockenoz, an OBM intern, told the council he has worked on economic modeling, data analysis and review of pension and fire liabilities during his four-week placement and called the experience "really meaningful" for a paid summer internship. "I've been here for about 4 weeks... I'm super thankful, for this internship," he said.

Lillian Messina, an OPED intern, described grant-tracking and records work that helped the department organize historical grant files and support ongoing programs such as cannabis and TIF grants. Both interns emphasized the value of real-world experience and thanked the mayor and departmental staff for the mentorship and paid opportunity that helped them apply academic skills to city operations.

Mayor Buscher and councilmembers acknowledged interns’ contributions and encouraged continued investment in paid internships to build talent pipelines for local government.