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Interns recognized at Cranberry Township meeting

CRANBERRY TWP — At the township supervisors’s regular meeting on Thursday, Aug. 7, a day before the end of the township’s 2025 summer internship program, nine interns were recognized for their time and work.

The program entailed 11 director-led presentations, seven tours of township facilities and departments, and several community events, including Seneca Valley student volunteer day, community days and participating at the town square market, said Holly Hopkins, township human resources specialist.

Several interns expressed that they built meaningful connections throughout their time at the township.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Cory Pierce, human resources intern, said. “Of the 140-something people that work in this building, I think I talked to every person at least one time in my internship.”

Wyatt Romigh, safety department intern, said he appreciated the culture at the township, where everyone was in sync and showed up to work excited and ready to make a difference.

“Everyone’s on the same page,” Romigh said. “We all have the same goal of making Cranberry better than the day before.”

“I never felt like I had to come to work. I always woke up every morning feeling like, I get to go to work today,” said Ulrich Sobehart, parks and recreation intern.

From learning how municipalities work to exploring how to best serve local communities, the interns said they had many different reasons for applying for the internship.

In addition to getting that experience, the interns also learned about how life will be after college, especially as a public employee, Romigh said.

The interns said they were also able to build a connection with the township itself through volunteer opportunities, Pierce said.

Romigh said it’s a sad feeling that the internship is coming to an end.

‘Planting seeds’

Bruce Hezlep, board of supervisors chairman, said during the meeting that some of the current employees at the township started out as interns and that he hopes to see something similar with this batch.

“We’re planting seeds here, so take what you learned here and go elsewhere, but if you can come back here, we want you to come back here,” Hezlep said.

Dan Santoro, township manager said the township has had interns for many years, but the program stepped up recently with Hopkins at lead, growing in scale and opening up to all departments. Now, it is typical to have nine to 12 summer interns at once.

Hopkins said the upgraded internship program launched in 2021 for two main purposes: community engagement and recruiting top talent.

Interns get to learn about all departments, not just the ones they’re part of, Santoro said.

“We try and take them behind the scenes. Part of our goal is not only to let them understand how local government functions, but that it is also a potential viable career,” Santoro said.

“I want to sincerely thank my colleagues for all their time this summer, as this program would not be possible without their help,” Hopkins said.

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