2024 Fall Capstone & Scholarship Program
Take Your Education to the Next Level
About the Program
Commissioner Richardson's Capstone Internship & Scholarship Program is a fantastic opportunity for those seeking to make a real and immediate impact on the community. Below are efforts that are critical to the Cobb District 2 Community, and could use someone JUST LIKE YOU!
Other Details/Requirements:
Age: Ages 16 and up
Education/Work Experience: None
Duration: August 5 (start) - December 1st (end)
Location: Virtual or In-Person (Cobb County, GA)
Completion Requirements: Finish project objectives, showcase event presentation
Application & Interview: Apply by August 2, 2024
Programs: Varies
Scholarship: Varies
See the Capstone Projects
Bridge to Success
Impact Summary: Assist the Commissioner and her community in launching a program through the nonprofit arm of Cobb WorkSource to enable those who are employable to navigate the stigmas while unemployed. The program connects individuals with gainful employment and assists in increasing discretionary income by adding a short-term signing incentive through the company so that families can get back on their feet after facing a family crisis or long-term unemployment
Requirements include: a workshop to find local businesses willing to participate in the program.
Skills to Earn/Relationships to Grow: Non-profit sector, legal & negotiation skills, business development skills, and workforce development skills
Facilitated with: Kathryn Smith
Affordable Housing or Master Planning
Impact Summary: Assist the Commissioner and her community in establishing a Master Plan for each community within District 2. All completed master plans will be lifted and translated into code to create an enforceable plan
Delivery Requirements include: Multiple workshops to identity the needs of communities in District 2. Communication with diverse groups of people, data organization, collaboration, research and presentation.
Skills to Earn/Relationships to Grow: Google App Sheets, Google Docs, Civic associations in District 2, Data Management, Program Management, Constituent engagement, Master planning, Zoning, and Community development
Facilitated with: Demetrius Lockett and Mechel McKinley
Taxpayer's Receipt
Impact Summary: Assist the Commissioner in creating a digital tool for constituents to better understand what they pay in taxes and where their money goes.
Delivery Requirements include: Research Report & Presentation, Recommended Programs and Investments, Statistical Analysis,
Skills to Earn/Relationships to Grow: Research, Program Management, Cobb County Taxes/Budget, Digital program development, and data entry.
Facilitated with: Commissioner Richardson
Intergovernmental Agreements (IGA) Schools & County - Stormwater
Impact Summary: Assist the Commissioner in the development of policy to be implemented across the Country and Schools that allow for better management of new school/school expansion stormwater systems
Delivery Requirements include: Agency-implemented policy language
Skills to Earn/Relationships to Grow: Research, Policy Design and Policy-making, Civil Engineering, Stormwater Infrastructure & Management, Root Cause Analysis, Government Finances, Ecological and Meteorological Sciences, Cobb County Water, School Board
Facilitated with: Morgan Murdock
Library of the Future
Impact Summary: Assist the Commissioner in creating a new Economic Development model for a library that integrates education, corporate, entrepreneurship, and community that can be shared with other jurisdictions
Delivery Requirements include: A complete model for the Library of the Future. Develop necessary relationships to sustain the program.
Skills to Earn/Relationships to Grow: Research, Development and Design, Kennesaw State University, WellStar hospital, Cobb County Libraries
Facilitated with: Kathryn Smith
SMART Communities Report
Impact Summary: Illustrating just how SMART Cobb County has been with its data and assets and identifying future opportunities to better connect emergency, waste management, health, safety, and transit systems
Delivery Requirements include: Policy recommendation and presentation, research, community workshopping, and dashboard creation
Skills to Earn/Relationships to Grow: Research, Sustainability, Grant Development, Community Outreach and Engagement, Environmentalism, Non profit and Private Sector
Facilitated with: Natasha Dyer
Renter's Bill of Rights
Impact Summary: Assist the Commissioner and the Community in designing a policy that can be adopted by the State to provide some living standard protections for renters and avenues of recourse for real damages.
Delivery Requirements include: Policy recommendation and presentation, research, legislative workshopping, community outreach,
Skills to Earn/Relationships to Grow: Research, Zoning, Site Inspections, Health standards, Property owner rights, Individual rights
Facilitated with: Demetrius Lockett
Water Quality Technologies
Impact Summary: Assist the Commissioner in helping to design a grant and event to develop new technologies for water quality monitoring that can be linked to other data feeds and output sources to help with transparency and emergency preparation.
Delivery Requirements include: Grant proposal and Event for crowd-sourcing technology development, real-time water quality monitoring device prototype or schematic
Skills to Earn/Relationships to Grow: Research, Water Infrastructure, Power Plant Management, Event planning, Intellectual Property Management, Marketing, Grant development, Federal Relationships (DOE), Emergency Controls
Facilitated with: Natasha Dyer
Anti-Gentrification Pilot (Community Center)
Impact Summary: Assist the Commissioner in establishing a community center for the Little Brazil Community.
Delivery Requirements include: Identifying a location and associated resourcing for a new community center
Skills to Earn/Relationships to Grow: Research, Zoning, Retail, Community Development, Brazilian Community
Facilitated with: Donna Court
E-Sports Conference
Impact Summary: Assist the Commissioner in establishing Cobb as a perfect destination for the Esports community. Esports is a fast -rowing industry across the US and in Georgia. As gaming and tech companies move into Georgia, new jobs will be created. Creating an ecosystem of esports resources and organizations in Cobb will help attract esports companies and talent to the area, anchoring the county into this fast-growing creative economy.
Delivery Requirements include: Working with several businesses, schools, industries, and organizations and effectively produce an e-sporting conference that explores the opportunities for media, technology, real estate, entertainment, and consumers to convene.
Skills to Earn/Relationships to Grow: Research, Event Planning, Business Development, Marketing, Technology industry.
Facilitated with: Kathryn Smith
ARTS Triangle
Impact Summary: Assist the Commissioner in creating a high-level plan established by the respective communities at each corner of the ARTS triangle. The ARTS Triangle master plan should facilitate mobility and corresponding communication technologies to support the triangle's economic impact.
Delivery Requirements include: Completing a drafted master plan for the ARTS Triangle. Collaborating with several communities, research, and presentation.
Skills to Earn/Relationships to Grow: Research, Community Development, Local arts community, transportation expansion, City of Smyrna, and the Cumberland CID.
Facilitated with: Kathryn Smith