Harris County Clerk’s Office Partners with UH Hobby School of Public Affairs to Host Inaugural Summer Internship Program

(Houston, TX) – The Harris County Clerk’s Office (HCCO) is an inaugural partner of Harris Fellows, a new county internship program initiated by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston.

“We are thrilled to be part of this exceptional program that allows students to gain hands-on experience that will help them in their future careers,” said Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth. “When I was in college, I interned on Capitol Hill through the Leland Fellows program, and this truly helped foster my professional growth.”

Clerk Hudspeth is a big supporter of higher education and empowering women in leadership. She began her career at the Harris County Clerk’s Office 15 years ago, working her way up to the top before becoming an elected official. Clerk Hudspeth is the first and youngest African-American woman to hold this office.

The Hobby School of Public Affairs’ internship programs and affiliated partnerships provide high caliber students the opportunity to explore and learn about various aspects of public service in legislative, political and non-profit environments in Houston, Washington, and Austin.

“Harris Fellows gives students the opportunity to work full-time in Harris County government offices during the summer,” said Hobby School of Public Affairs Senior Director Renee Cross. “The overall focus of the program is to immerse them in county government so they can develop professional skills, gain applied research expertise, polish interpersonal abilities, and build a professional network. We want to introduce our students to public service in the hope that they will follow in the footsteps of leaders like Clerk Hudspeth.”

Depending on the students’ degree plan, taking part of this program can earn them up to 12 upper level credit hours in political science by combining supervised academic study and research with practical training.

Rising UH Senior Cassidy Lee recently started her internship that runs through August. She is also a recipient of the Women Professionals in Government scholarship.

“I’m very interested in public service and this internship will provide an overall experience about the everyday functions of county government,” said HCCO Intern Cassidy Lee. “The County Clerk’s Office offers so many services to the public and I am looking forward to learning more about what each department does.”

For more information about the Harris County Clerk’s Office visit www.cclerk.hctx.net or follow us on social media @HarrisCoTXClerk.

 

Harris Fellows Intern Cassidy Lee and Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth.