Bethany Meckelburg LEADER STAFF
It’s out with the old and in with the new at the town office. Barrhead is saying goodbye to one intern, Stephen Pederson and hello to another: Jordan Evans.
After almost a year of working as an intern in the town office, it’s time for Pederson to pass on the torch.
The town is looking forward to working with Evans. He is already fitting in “very, very well” according to municipal manager Brad Watson who also said, “He will do well.”
Pederson and Evans have been working together for the past couple of weeks and they will continue to do so until Pederson leaves on May 25.
When asked what exactly Evans can expect while he is working as an intern Pederson laughed, “A lot of Sim City…it’s good training for municipal planning.”
“The intent of the program is to give the intern an overview of town management,” he continued in a more serious tone.
Watson agreed. “The individuals who go through Barrhead get an exceptional, well-rounded exposure to municipal government.”
The program is designed to give the intern an understanding of all facets of the municipality. They will have to opportunity to work in each department within the town and then spend a bit of time with the county as well to gain rural savvy.
Originally from St. Albert, Evans finished his political science degree at the U of A in December and will be having his convocation in June. He heard about tin tern program at a career fair held at the U of A and decided to apply for a position. Out of 34 applicants, only 15 are chosen and then from there, each municipality foes through their own process to determine which intern would be the best for them. And the best intern for Barrhead was Jordan Evans.
It isn’t all roses though, gaining Evans means losing Pederson.
“The council and staff were saying, ‘Is there some way we could have him re-apply?’” said Watson, “But they (municipal affairs) said no.”
And Pederson already has plans for his next venture. He and his wife will be working on cruise ship for the summer and then he will begin his graduate studies in public administration at the University of Western Ontario.
“Living in Barrhead was fantastic. My wife and I were embraced by the community and we’re really grateful for the time we’ve spent in Barrhead. It’s a wonderful place,” he said.
He isn’t entirely certain what he wants to do after he completes his studies, but he would like to eventually work in government management.
Evans isn’t sure what he wants to do after the internship either, possibly graduate studies, along the lines of urban planning, but for now he is excited to have the opportunity to gain some experiences in Barrhead.
“I’m looking forward to working with a few other groups in the community, for growth in particular,” said Evans. “I’m also hoping to get a lot of experience with our development officer.”
When asked about what he would tell potential applicants for this program Pederson said he would tell them about the “tremendous amount of practical experience,” how it helps with the graduate school application and how it makes finding employment in the field easier.
What he will remember as his favourite activity was riding on the back of a garbage truck.
“When I was little, it was a childhood dream of mine,” Pederson said. “I looked at the guy on the back of the garbage truck and thought: ‘that is the life.’ It wasn’t quite as glamorous as I thought.”