Despite an incredibly busy summer for many, Councilmember Agran and his team welcomed eight awesome and engaged Irvine residents as summer interns to learn more about local government!

This internship experience was designed to foster the civic engagement and critical thinking of student leaders. Working closely with Councilmember Agran, our summer interns developed strong leadership qualities and enhanced problem-solving abilities as they assisted with public policy analysis, research, and communications. Councilmember Agran expressed his pride in their accomplishments, saying:

“These civic-minded summer interns have made a meaningful impact in their community. I am proud that our youth is fascinated by the work of local government. They should be very proud of all of their hard work.”

The Office of Councilmember Agran sincerely hopes that they all enjoyed learning about local government and engaging with their community! Here is a brief introduction to all of our interns and their summer internship projects.

Mae King

Mae King, a senior at University High School, helped promote local sustainability and created several professional relationships as a coordinator for the Irvine Climate Coalition. She also examined local pollution and plastic waste management, proposing various approaches for reducing our carbon footprint. She now hopes to have a career in sustainable technology.

Anjali Mittapally

Anjali Mittapally, a rising senior at Northwood High School, has a passion for environmental sustainability initiatives and raising awareness for mental health. This summer, Anjali also researched the impacts of synthetic turf and plastics waste management strategies. This experience has inspired her to continue to be involved in the Irvine community.

Gyan Shrivastava

Did you know that LED lights are 90% more efficient than incandescent lighting and their lifespan is 25 times longer? Gyan Shrivastava, a rising sophomore attending Legacy Magnet Academy, enjoyed studying clean-energy topics like LED lighting. During his time in the internship, he gained many valuable skills and looks forward to continuing his work on environmental policy.

Katherine Wu

Katherine Wu, a rising senior at University High School, is passionate about health and environmental justice. She promoted sustainability in the City of Irvine throughout her internship by helping establish the Irvine Climate Coalition, a collective of people and organizations protecting our climate with local action, and giving people toolkits to reduce their carbon footprint.

Kevin Corrigan

Kevin Corrigan, a rising sophomore at UCLA, is eager to enhance public engagement in local government. Throughout his internship, he assisted Councilmember Agran with research on autonomous vehicles, plastics waste management, and renewable energy policy. He also met with leaders of the business community and learned how to best respond to constituent concerns.

Lauren Wood

Lauren Wood, a senior at Portola High School, ambitiously tackled the issues of community involvement and health. She enjoyed collaborating with other interns and exploring her interests through research on public mental health and wellness, gaining valuable insight into Irvine's health and wellness initiatives. She also proposed several local efforts to improve mental health.

Sunny Wang

Sunny Wang is a rising senior at Northwood High School. Interested in making a tangible and positive impact in her community, Sunny studied public health policy and offered guidance on the local health and wellness initiatives.

Amy Qin

Jiayang (Amy) Qin, a Sage Hill student from the class of 2024, is very passionate about the fields of business and sustainability. She coordinated our Shop Local Series with visits to Mag’s Donuts in Quail Hill and Presotea in the Irvine Business Complex, allowing the Office of Councilmember Agran to better understand the unique backstories and daily challenges of Irvine businesses.