Student helps preserve Hamden heritage through unique fellowship program

July 12, 2021

Public Service Fellow Manavi Jain at her desk in the Town Clerk Office in Hamden

Manavi Jain ‘22, is working with the Town Clerk and Deputy Chief of Staff to help Hamden digitize and organize their archives. The modernization of historic records will give easy access to future generations and bring them to life.

“For me, the applied business program at Quinnipiac greatly helped to prepare me for all walks of the world of business,” Jain said.

Jain added that her coursework has “been put to use, including but not limited to public dealings and negotiation skills.”

In addition to the immense amount of help her education at Quinnipiac has provided her, she thanks the coordinator for the public service fellowship, Professor Scott McLean, for providing coaching and insights for the experience of the work she is doing.

Jain’s fellowship has already given her many real-world experiences, and she is looking forward to continuing to learn about government at the municipal level.

“I would like to leverage this experience and blend the government way of working with the corporate world,” she said. “They are both very different but have the same vision to help support the stakeholders.”

Her goals after graduation are to complete her MBA in management and to become an entrepreneur.

“In my view, public service work is the key for anyone’s success,” she said. “This gives you exposure to the wants and needs of the public, and these people are your most important customers in anything you do in life. Public service gives you some eternal meaning to be a part of a society.”

Jain credits her change of attitude about local government to this fellowship. She has realized through her experiences working in the town clerk office how necessary their jobs are, and how they keep towns moving.

“Without our local government, we would be lacking the law and order that our police force provides, the safety that our fire department provides, the historical documents that our town clerk’s office preserves, and the infrastructure that our public works department keeps intact,” she said.

Overall, Jain said she feels honored to be part of this fellowship program and is looking forward to the many more experiences and opportunities it will provide for her in the future. 

“This has given me the exposure to be a part of a unique organization at the local government level and has provided a truly special opportunity to learn,” she said.

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