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Summer Placements

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Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency (CEPA)-Administration

  • Research fund development opportunities, create a fund development plan, and establish a donor database for Animal Services through conducting discovery of existing donation system, compiling data of existing donors, volunteers, and adopters, and researching donor management platforms and potential donors
  • Develop a centralized data dashboard to track key agency performance indicators by conducting interviews with CEPA Senior Leadership Team to identify existing and potential performance measures of their programs and services, compiling and organizing existing data, source data, and a system of storage, and developing a methodology guide and maintenance plan for the CEPA Data Dashboard
  • Develop and implement an outreach strategy for the K-12 education system to increase public understanding of the role community members play in protecting the health, pets, and environment of Santa Clara County through researching the school districts within the County of Santa Clara, compiling a searchable contact list, and researching best practices for school engagement strategies

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Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency (CEPA)-Vector Control District

  • Complete special projects within the field of ecology, sampling technology, laboratory practices, outreach assessment, and/or other related topics 
  • Field sampling and vector surveillance for mosquito, flea, and tick-borne disease
  • Lab experience running PCR tests, assessing taxonomy of vector species, extracting samples, and pooling specimens
  • Field and laboratory investigations to assess public risk which will inform outreach efforts, particularly to underserved communities 

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County of Santa Clara Office of the Sheriff-Custody Bureau

  • Evaluate Grievance Unit for implementation of additional staff to better serve department needs
  • Process grievances to provide feedback to requests and evaluate the complaint submission process for improvements and efficiencies
  • Research recommendations for improvements in workflow and effective communication for justice-involved individuals, including creating a procedural book, reorganizing workflows, and reallocating responsiblities
  • Perform data entry and analysis to draft a report on how to best manage inmate grievance data received from several platforms

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County of Santa Clara Office of the Sheriff-Restorative Services Division

  • Research, draft, and present a policy paper to the Sheriff’s Office executive team on one of the following topics regarding individuals in custody:
    • Identification access, such as social security cards and ID's
    • Challenges individuals who are undocumented face, and the resources they need
    • Best practice models for peer mentoring and how the Sheriff's Office can implement them
    • The needs and challenges of parents  
    • Wellness programs
  • Perform data collection, focus groups, and interviews, and propose policy changes and/or program implementation related to the research 

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Division of Equity and Social Justice (DESJ)-Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging (ODEB)

  • Conduct equity-based research and evaluation to enhance the County’s ability to expand behavioral and medical care access, increase access to housing, strengthen community safety and reform, enhance support to children and families, and promote sustainability 
  • Assist in the development of the Employee Equity Survey and Data Equity Dashboard Template, and perform evaluation of Racial Equity Action Planning through: 
    • Engaging with County staff to identify data gaps and needs
    • Assisting in strategies for data collection, compiling data, and reviewing literature for best practices on data storage, presentation, and visualization  
    • Qualitative data collection and analysis
    • Developing interview guides, conducting interviews with County staff, and analyzing interviews to develop themes and takeaways

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Division of Equity and Social Justice (DESJ)-Office of LGBTQ Affairs (OLGBTQA)

  • Literature review, research, data analysis, conducting meetings and focus groups, and drafting a report and presentation to County stakeholders on topics including (but not limited to):
    • Available local and national LGBTQ+ training resources for, but not limited to, service providers, private and public organizations, small businesses, educators, families, and individuals
    • Current needs of monolingual LGBTQ+ families and/or LGBTQ+ youth living in monolingual households in the South Bay to provide connection to current multilingual LGBTQ+ family resources, and build upon available multilingual LGBTQ+ resources
    • A report, presentation, physical pamphlet resource, and/or a website detailing the creation and impact of OLGBTQA and all County services stemming from OLGBTQA’s work, through interviews with current and former County staff, and analyzing existing literature on OLGBTQA and the County
  • Participation, planning, community outreach, marketing, and communications for Summer Pride-Related Events

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Division of Equity and Social Justice (DESJ)-Office of Women's Policy

  • Draft Caregiving in Santa Clara County (SCC) Report, which compiles exisiting data and synthesizes takeaways to support caregiver-focused programs within the County, specifically When Young Moms Thrive and Caregiver Returnship Program, through: 
    • Researching the caregiving landscape in the County of Santa Clara and creating an organized framework for documenting various forms of caregiving, the issues caregivers face, and the resources available 
    • Outreach to various DESJ offices and County departments to create an accurate, pro-equity, well-researched, and well-informed report
  • Plan listening session events aimed at young parents and returners in County positions, including clarifying and communicating event goals, developing an event plan, and coordinating logistics 

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Employee Services Agency

  • Review and analyze specific sets of data related to recruitment, applicant screening, hiring, promotion, termination, transfer, and discipline for purposes of understanding racial disproportionalities within these processes, along with a more in depth understanding of employment practices within the County:
    • Use data analysis to identify any trends or areas of disproportionality within race, gender, and ethnicity
    • Identify any rates of change between years of data review to potentially identify strategies to address disproportionalities
  • Create content for trainings on Leading with a Racial Equity Lens, Levels of Racism, Cultural Proficiency and the Connection to Inclusion and Racial Equity

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Juvenile Custody Health Services (JCHS)

  • Create a novel and understandable educational and resource intervention for justice involved youth who are teen parents that advances parenting competency and bonding with their child, through creating questionnaires, templates, interviews, adding data collection points, etc. 
  • Work alongside the JCHS Medical Social Worker, Medical Director and other clinical and professional administrative staff to understand the unique JCHS environment, needs of juvenile justice involved youth, and the partners that work within this system
  • Increase inclusivity and create a more patient centered approach within the JCHS health care model by contributing to a variety of project needs, including literature reviews and needs assessments through focus groups and interviews with youth, staff, family, guardians, etc.

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Medical Examiner-Coroner

  • Catalogue, curation, cleansing, basic assessment, and analytical assistance of long-term unidentified cases received at the Medical Examiner-Coroner Office to gain insights on demographics and manner types, and more specifically trends associated with drug abuse, homelessness, and violence
  • Review sources of archaeological remains received with recommendations on proper handling of cases in medical examiner/coroner context, and perform full accounting of archaeological remains, with audit of completed and outstanding tasks and plan for full repatriation/final disposition 

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Office of Labor Standards Enforcement

  • Draft report and present findings on project(s) including, but not limited to:  
    • Research and identification of vulnerable workers and small businesses to identify community needs in Santa Clara County
    • Literature review and analysis, and data and landscape analysis, on all available workers' rights and business responsibility training resources locally and nationally for service providers, private and public organizations, small businesses, educators, families, and individuals
    • Communications support, including developing website FAQ about workers rights and business responsibilities for easier community access to information, and developing social media assets and catalog to create thematic worker and business awareness around rights and responsibilities (i.e. International Workers’ Day, Small Business Saturday, etc.)
  • Participate in Summer Pride-Related Events, community outreach, and conduct meetings with Community Based Organizations 

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Office of the County Clerk-Recorder 

  • Assist in the Restrictive Covenant Modification Program Implementation Plan, which works to identify and redact any unlawful language contained within the County records, most notably the restrictive covenants containing language forbidding or restricting the right of any person to sell, buy, lease, rent, use or occupy property on the base of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income, disability, veteran or military status, or genetic information 
  • Locate documents with potential unlawful covenenent language, review document to identify the unlawful language, prepare the document for redaction, present to County Counsel for review and approval, and re-record redacted restrictive covenant modification 
  • Receive and process redacations of ownership interest submitted by the public, and research best practices in performing redactions and automating overall process

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Office of the County Executive-Civic and Community Engagement

  • Create catalogue of community-based organizations, neighborhood organizations, and faith groups who have shown interest in advancing goals and objectives of the County and Board of Supervisors
  • Collaborate with Department and Agency heads to map out and identify community leaders and supporters of the County's objectives and outcomes, and gain deeper understanding of outreach goals between County network and targeted communities 
  • Perform community outreach, arrange meetings, and summarize and communicate meeting notes as needed    

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Office of the County Executive-Food Systems

  • Complete projects and provide support for the County's system-wide Food Restaurants, Agriculture, and Health Access Initiative, which will guide County actions towards creating a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable food system 
  • Document the progress of the County Micro Enterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) pilot, with particular focus on MEHKO operator success and challenges
  • Synthesize information from various County departments for annual Food System Workplan Progress Update
  • Complete assessment of food and meal services at County-operated temporary housing, supportive housing, and treatment facilities
  • Examine facilitators and barriers for transitioning to a plant-forward policy countywide
  • Research policies, practices, and programs in other local jurisdictions
  • Collect and organize data, write reports, support grant monitoring, and outreach to community members

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Office of the County Executive-Office of Sustainability and Resilience  

  • Gather data, utilize research methodologies, and identify best practices to align County practices and programs with department and County sustainability and resilience goals, and create resilience metrics for tracking progress and effectiveness of current and future initiatives
  • Support pre-planning for development of cross functional Resilience Planning, to engage with internal County partners and external sustainability partners across Santa Clara County to gather insights, feedback, and suggestions to define and measure climate resilience
  • Participate in the Resilience Task Force with Office of Sustainability and Resilience and Public Health Department

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Office of the County Executive-Privacy Office

  • Conduct research and draft report on how Generative AI can be responsibly deployed within the County, including how it has been deployed in other local agencies and how Generative AI technology can be integrated into a broader data governance strategy  
  • Research governance structures, including best practices policies, procedures, and other supporting documents that can be implemented within existing County structure 
  • Identify ways to redesign internal SharePoint sites to highlight documents needed to support employees, including accessing self-service options

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Public Health Department-Healthy Communities Branch Administration & Operations

  • Support in various administrative research projects, including project management and data management techniques to ensure data accuracy, security, and accessibility
  • Identify areas of improvement in inventory management through operations research, to improve process of tracking and ordering supplies and equipment processes
  • Identify areas of improvement for administrative processes, draft methodology one-pagers detailing improvements, and develop training content and resources related to improvements
  • Assist with the maintaining and updating of General Fund supplies tracking sheet, vacancy sheet, and organization charts

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Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH)-Finance Administration  

  • Support various finance administration projects, the findings of which will be summarized and presented to SCVH leaders as part of a final capstone project, to gain insight on how County hospitals and clinics help meet the County’s safety net mission, how financing supports SCVH’s mission and operations, how healthcare impacts diversity, inclusion, and equity issues across Santa Clara County, and project management skills required for success in healthcare finance
  • Identify ways to reduce the amount of outside healthcare costs, including coordinating intrasystem transfers more efficiently to keep more patients within the system and increasing repatriations from outside Emergency Departments
  • Support projects making recommendations to enhance and expand safety net patient access, improving efficiency in patient delivery, and maintaining financial sustainability
  • Conduct a needs/feasibility analysis on areas to expand service lines
  • Extract financial data, create reports, analyze operational and financial metrics, address board-related initiatives from a financial perspective, and support ad hoc responsibilities.

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Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH)-Office for Health Equity and Improvement

  • Lead research, review literature, and draft report on interventions for Social Determinants of Health, focusing on how health systems can connect patients to resources and community partners to address their needs, especially as it relates to housing insecurity, food insecurity, and personal safety, among other determinants
  • Compile analytical reports, analyze quantitative and qualitative data, and meet with partners of the program to identify improvements for the My Voice My Community Pilot Program, which aims to enhance patient-centered care by strengthening the relationships between patients and their care teams through shared personal stories
  • Support the completion of various health equity-related projects and initiatives through literary reviews, project assistance, formulating evidenced-based recommendations, and leading effective collaboration with project partners 

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Social Services Agency (SSA)-Director's Office

  • Create and conduct an internal assessment establishing a baseline of racial equity metrics across the Agency programs and services, to identify current strengths, areas for improvements, equity metrics to guide future strategic goals, and allow for measurable progress tracking 
  • Collaborate with the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging (ODEB) to create and conduct an agency-wide survey understanding employees' perceptions of Race Equity and Social Justice, identify trends in disparities across race, gender, position, tenure, and opportunities for advancement, and draft a comprehensive report outlining staff experience, areas for improvement, and training/policy adjustments  
  • Collect feedback using culturally sensitive surveys, draft interview protocols, and analyze data to identify trends related to race, gender, language, and other cultural needs to support the goal of ensuring services are culturally responsive and meet the needs of diverse groups 
  • Draft a disparity analysis report to identify race, ethnicity, and income level disparities in relation to service effectiveness, including recommendations for project modifications using statistical analysis and facilitating focus groups to aid in program modification recommendations 

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Social Services Agency (SSA)-IT Data Analytics

  • Various data analytics-related projects, including, but not limited to researching and developing a list of potential tools, applications, and/or programming languages (R, Python, database SQL), and related procurement costs, which are best applicable for the SSA Data Analytics Engine
  • Proof of Concept projects related to Descriptive Analytics, Predictive Analytics, Prescriptive Analytics, and Diagnostic Analytics, to identify various business use cases and insights such as possible root causes of any outliers or anomalies, and different ways to describe data to help users to make decisions
  • Create a graphic user interface (GUI), and provide operational framework and proof of concept of a Story Telling Engine, which collects users' data and interests and provides insights in the form of a user-friendly report 
  • Create a Reporting Engine GUI which lists data reporting scripts that are available for production and allows users to customize reports based on time and other parameters, and add Access Control so users can only access information relevant to their departments

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Social Services Agency (SSA)-Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) in the Program Support, Research, and Evaluation (PSRE) Division

  • Gain experience in research and evaluation through developing interview protocols, survey instruments, analyzing data, developing focus group discussion guides, and drafting reports and narratives, in projects such as:    
    • Facilitating and conducting a study related to The Families First Prevention Act, which requires the County to coordinate safety net programs and services and take more holistic approaches to meet family needs
    • Analyzing administrative data to provide insight into the effectiveness of different interventions on various types of adult abuse, and identifying current community resources to develop prevention strategies
    • Employing data analytics to inform the development of employment opportunities for youth specifically as it relates to the Intern and Earn Program, which is a County-subsidized summer youth employment program that provides CalWORKs, CalFresh, and Foster Care youth opportunities to gain experience, skills, and an income during the summer months
    • Identifying drivers of low participation in CalFresh through conducting focus groups (listening tours) of communities in Santa Clara County to understand the barriers preventing individuals and households from enrolling and/or maintaining CalFresh participation 

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Technology Services and Solutions-Architecture Innovation and Mode 2 (AIM2) Division

  • Work with the Digital Service Team to identify opportunities for digital transformation, to automate, improve, and transform public services (such as paying taxes/fees, requesting birth certificates, scheduling appointments, applying for permits, etc.) by: 
    • Engaging with County departments to gather information and gain a deeper understanding of which services would be ideal processes for digital transformation
    • Documenting current processes through flow charts and other tools
    • Learning design thinking methodology to apply to real use cases and propose redesigned digital services

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Technology Services and Solutions-Shared Technology Services 

  • Perform DocuSign implementation tasks including configuration, integration, Quality Assurance, requirements gathering, and solution design to automate post-signature tasks
  • Complete DocuSign adminstrative tasks including granting access to signing groups and creating DocuSign envelopes, templates, and PowerForms, and resetting federated ID's
  • Use the data mapping tool to route form data into a SharePoint list organizing and summarizing client information 
  • Research various topics related to DocuSign, including DocuSign Envelope usage, measuring the value of e-signature in the County, methods of modernizing technology within the County, and environmental impact
  • Address and complete tickets in Cherwell, a software suite that helps organizations automate workflows and improve service experience 

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Vietnamese American Service Center (VASC)

  • Analyze, identify trends, and summarize and present Annual Service and Program Data, including collecting data from VASC's co-located County programs, and verifying activities and community engagement efforts in the previous fiscal year
  • Support creation of VASC’s Annual Impact Report and present findings related to service trends, engagement, and operational developments from co-located departments and internal teams
  • Support the development of an Annual Participant Feedback Survey and collect, organize, analyze, summarize, and present feedback collected from survey

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