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:

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

Click here to apply!  

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

Click here to apply! 

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

Click here to apply! 

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


Click here to apply! 

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 

Click here to apply! 

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

Click here to apply! 

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 

Click here to apply! 

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

Click here to apply! 

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 

Click here to apply!

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

Click here to apply!

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 

Click here to apply!