On June 6, 2023, Iulia Tarasova embarked on a transformative 15-week summer internship journey with the City of Roseville’s Human Resources Department. Her position was made possible through the support of CCMF’s Judy L. Kelsey Memorial Fund.
The Judy L. Kelsey Memorial Fund offers two $5,000 grants to local governments each year to fund internships. Half the funding for this program comes from the estate of Judy Lyn Kelsey, a longtime California city manager with a passion for uplifting others. The other half of the funding is contributed by CCMF.
“The City of Roseville is grateful to have received the CCMF-funded internship program through the Judy L. Kelsey Memorial Fund,” said Roseville Human Resources Director Stacey Peterson. “This support allowed us to bring on a summer intern who played a pivotal role in spearheading remarkable projects. Iulia’s fresh perspective and passion have energized our team, and we look forward to supporting her career growth in Roseville.”
Her impactful contributions spanned several areas, including the development of a four-week high school internship program for the summer of 2024. In this role, she displayed remarkable leadership, organizational prowess and project management skills while crafting a comprehensive plan defining the program’s goals and structure, and designing an engaging curriculum. In addition, she created promotional materials in multiple languages to attract a diverse pool of applicants and delivered her proposal to the City Council and across various City departments.
Additionally, Iulia conducted extensive research on sexual harassment prevention training, identifying three highly effective programs to foster a safe and respectful workplace culture. Furthermore, Iulia’s prior training on protected leave laws and City policy allowed her to play a crucial role in advising City employees on various protected leaves, handling various sensitive cases with empathy and confidentiality. Moreover, Iulia’s involvement in system testing led to software improvements, emphasizing the importance of attention to detail and rigorous testing in ensuring smooth leave tracking and system operations.
“As I reflect on my internship, I can confidently say that it has kindled a fire of motivation and dedication within me. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next chapter of my journey, knowing that the invaluable experiences and growth from this internship will be the cornerstone of my future endeavors,” Iulia said.
Applications for the 2024 Judy Kelsey Memorial Fund will open to California cities next spring. Visit the Judy L. Kelsey Memorial Fund webpage for more information.