Maggie Howard Makes a Local Impact Through MTAS Summer Internship
Maggie Howard, a rising sophomore at the Baker School, is spending her summer learning firsthand how local government operates through an internship with the University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS). Assigned to the city of Goodlettsville, she has taken on a wide range of responsibilities, from attending city meetings to spending time with the police and fire departments.
The internship also includes a city-specific project. For Maggie, that project is called Project ‘072, which examines how city departments and community programs can be improved and better promoted to the public. Her work has recently focused on public art. She is helping the city apply for grant funding through the Tennessee Arts Commission to support a new mural and is organizing a rotating art exhibit at city hall to showcase local artists. She is also preparing to present her work to the city commission.
Maggie first discovered the internship during a networking fair hosted by the Baker School. After speaking with representatives from the UT Institute for Public Service (IPS), she was intrigued by the opportunity and followed up to learn more. The program’s hands-on structure and focus on local government aligned closely with her growing interest in public service.
She credits the Baker School with preparing her well for the role. Through experiences like conferences, small group sessions with elected officials, and policy writing assignments, Maggie developed the confidence and skills to engage with professionals in the field. The Institute Fellows program gave her a solid understanding of how city governments operate, and one of her classes required her to research and write a policy brief on a statewide issue. That experience helped her understand how those issues affect smaller communities like Goodlettsville.
“The Baker School has helped me learn how to communicate what I want to do and the impact I hope to have,” she said. “That’s been helpful in environments where I’m working alongside people who are already doing that kind of work.”
Her summer internship is not only helping the local community but is also shaping her long-term goals. Maggie has connected with city administrators and local government organizations across the state, gaining valuable insight into how local, state, and federal systems interact. She says the internship has helped her identify multiple areas of government where she could see herself making a difference in the future.
Reflecting on her internship, Maggie says she’s excited to be part of something meaningful and to apply what she’s learned in the classroom to real-world work.
“I feel called to create positive change in the world, and this program is giving me an opportunity to do so,” she said. “It’s exciting to be working in a field I care about and to spend my time doing things that serve this community.”
This fall, Maggie will serve as a Baker Ambassador. She looks forward to helping prospective students discover the same opportunities she found and showing them how welcoming and engaged the Baker School community is.
