Meet our Summer Interns
Posted August 1, 2022
The Chester County Planning Commission is pleased to feature our 2022 Summer Interns, James Steuteville and Marina Rullo, as this month's Staff Spotlight!
Meet James
As a Chester County native and senior at West Chester University, James sought out CCPC as he was searching for an internship in the planning field (specifically transportation planning).
So far, he has worked on a wide variety of projects including researching and reporting on different methods to increase affordable housing in the county, keeping track of the growth and decline of local businesses, and downloading and preparing data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics for the 2021 economic report. He has also worked on multiple projects with the computer mapping software ArcGIS, including analyzing and updating Chester County’s sidewalk map, creating enclave maps that highlight racial inequity, and updating the county's zoning district map.
"The main goal I hope to achieve as an Intern is to get experience in a professional planning environment and figure out specific aspects of planning that I enjoy and want to pursue in the future," James said. "An additional goal I have is to work on projects that will make a meaningful impact on the residents of Chester County."
James' favorite place in Chester County is the West Branch of the Brandywine Creek, as he enjoys canoeing from Newlin to Pocopson Townships. In his spare time, he can usually be found at one of the beautiful nature preserves throughout Chester County. He is also an eagle scout from boy scout troop 22 out of Unionville.
When asked what his favorite quote is, James replied with John Muir's "the clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness."
Meet Marina
After attending one of CCPC's Board Meetings and hearing about a new Sustainability Director, Marina — a grad school student majoring in Sustainability — knew a summer internship at CCPC would be a perfect fit!
During her internship, Marina has been assisting the Sustainability Director with the county's Climate Action Plan. This includes searching for reliable data sources that CCPC can use to track sustainability performance measures on an annual basis, such as electric vehicle usage, total solar kilowatts installed, tree cover, and many other metrics.
"I would really love to build relationships with people in the environmental field," Marina noted when asked what goals she hopes to accomplish during her time at CCPC. "I'm hoping to grow as a professional and be a person that someone would like to hire after I graduate."
Chester County is very familiar to Marina as she grew up in Glen Mills and enjoys taking trips to Stroud Preserve and Downtown West Chester, as well as the Brandywine River Museum in Delaware County.
"Chester County has so many diverse landscapes and fun things to do, I can't choose only one favorite," she added.
In her spare time, Marina can most likely be found adventuring around Philadelphia (where she goes to school) or spending time with her boyfriend in West Chester.
As a former rugby player throughout high school and college, Marina describes herself as "a bit of a self-proclaimed tough cookie." When asked what her favorite quote or life philosophy is, Marina replied with an important message from her mom — which is to live life gracefully and be kind to everyone.