From Henok Cronin’s desk in the City County Building in downtown Indianapolis, he could look down on the hustle and bustle on Market Street every day.
“I couldn’t believe that was my view,” he says, laughing.
In fall 2022, he was working with Indianapolis’ Office of Public Health and Safety as part of an internship with the mayor’s office. His work centered around projects to address the root causes of crime and reduce violence in Indianapolis neighborhoods.
“City government is very important to the community,” he says. “This internship was my first chance to get a feel for what it’s like to work in policy and government.”
To Cronin, policy work provides an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives here and around the world. That includes those in the East African nation of Ethiopia where he was born.
“Africa has my heart because we need a lot of help,” says Cronin, an O’Neill Policy Studies major. “That’s why I want to build my knowledge here and use it to help my people back home.”
Cronin was adopted at age 12 and moved to Central Indiana. Eleven years later, he’s in his final year at IUPUI. He had been searching for an internship that would provide him with the experience he needed to begin a career in policy. Once he heard about the mayor’s internship program, he knew he had found it.
“My internship with OPHS through the mayor’s office gave me a lot of hands-on experience,” he says.
He encourages other O’Neill students to go through the program as well. The online application for summer 2023 is open through March 31, 2023. There are six paid positions available. Cronin says students work 20 hours a week and are matched with opportunities based on the degree they’re pursing and their interests.