Early September marks the end of McKenna’s annual paid summer internship program, which introduced passionate, creative students to hands-on planning projects within our client communities. This year, McKenna welcomed 4 new interns to the company – Steven Crawley, Haja Dabo, Dylan Mason, and Brendan Roose – alongside Wyatt Lussier and Evan McCarthy, both returning interns. From undergraduate to graduate students across both Michigan and Ohio, McKenna works to hire students from a range of academic backgrounds to help launch their careers in planning, many of whom return to work for McKenna full-time immediately upon graduation.

As the summer comes to a close, we’d like to share out some highlights from our internship program, from the perspective of our Columbus-based Intern, Haja Dabo.

Hands-On, Real-World Experience

At McKenna, interns aren’t doing coffee runs; Interns at McKenna are immediately exposed to a diverse range of real client-facing projects and tasks that demonstrate what a career in planning looks like. From learning how to write site plan reviews, zoning ordinances, and housing studies to drafting Master Plans, Parks and Recreation Plans, and Active Transportation Plans, our interns collaborate with and learn directly from our planners to gain hands-on experience in ways that coursework alone falls short.

“As a Planning Intern, I enjoy gaining exposure to different types of projects that are actually taking place in the planning field,” Brendan Roose, a graduate student at the University of Michigan said.

Apart from technical project tasks, our interns also get to step foot into our client communities, often shadowing public meetings and supporting community engagement events. Wyatt Lussier shared that he cherished being able to see his community outreach efforts impact real plans and policies.

“I came back for a second summer at McKenna because I enjoy getting to be the point of contact with communities,” he said. “I feel lucky to get to interact with them in meaningful ways, and to get their input on projects happening in their own backyards.”

Opportunities for Company-wide Impact

McKenna’s interns also get direct access to the internal workings of a consulting firm. With the guidance of McKenna’s Leadership Team, our Summer 2026 cohort of interns were assigned two group projects of high priority for our staff and clients, the results of which were presented at company-wide meetings.

The first involved creating McKenna’s Grant Matrix, a dynamic database that McKenna’s planners can use to catalog grants applicable to our client communities. The Matrix will be used to help match client projects with local, state, and federal funding, helping to ensure the implementation of our clients’ plans and visions for the future.

Our interns also launched McKenna’s AI Policy Working Group, where the cohort researched best practices and pitfalls in internal AI usage to formulate educational tools, guidance, and recommendations concerning ethical AI integration within the company.

“With this internship, you get a broad view at private planning compared to public planning organizations,” said Steven Crawley, noting that these projects offered critical insight to the business side of a private-sector planning firm and invited interns to take part in shaping internal strategy and creating lasting impact for staff.

Career Readiness

McKenna offers time and resources to ensure each intern’s professional goals and development are supported. Upon starting the position, interns are provided with a first week schedule and full orientation, an assigned team and Team Leader, and a “Coach” for additional day-to-day mentorship. With this foundation, our interns have the opportunity to explore areas of interest, develop their critical and creative thinking skills, and build confidence in both independent and collaborative tasks.

Teamwork and cross-team collaboration is a central component to planning work, and to the internship program itself; Interns get to work on planning and design work of high technical and creative quality while coordinating and communicating with planners, designers, mapping specialists, graphic designers, and administrative staff.

“A positive aspect of the internship program is getting to turn learned theory from classes into practice,” said Dylan, an undergraduate student at Grand Valley State University, adding that interns get to build tangible skills and see their work in real life deliverables.

Beyond the program itself, working at McKenna promises continued connection, even after the summer ends; In addition to building friendships and professional networks, many of our interns continue working with the firm part-time through the fall and spring semesters, while others go on to become full-time McKenna planners following their graduation.

“I stayed on with McKenna because of the incredible communities we work with, the breadth of experience I take away, and my appreciation of our project teams,” says Evan McCarthy, who has worked with McKenna since the summer of 2025.

As our summer at McKenna winds down, what we know for sure is that McKenna has helped to make us better planners who are ready to help shape communities for real life.

Written by Haja Dabo, Summer 2026 Intern

—

McKenna offers its sincere gratitude for the contributions and enthusiasm of our summer 2026 interns. We look forward to continuing working with supporting the growth of our current interns, and we look forward to welcoming next summer’s cohort!

Interested in interning at McKenna? While our formal Internship application process opens in Winter/Spring of each year, interested students should never hesitate to chat with us at a Career Fair or get in contact with us.