THANKS MR. INTERN

After a busy summer with the Upson County Building and Zoning Department, intern Akeenan Bridges is about to take his practical experience back to the classrooms of Alabama A&M (Huntsville) where he is beginning his second year as a Master’s candidate in Urban and Regional Planning. A native of Manchester, Georgia, Akeenan is the 30 year old son of Angela and Byron Stevenson and a graduate of Dawson Street Christian Academy in Newnan, Georgia. In this next year, he’s looking forward to classes like Environmental Law and Studio I and maybe a second internship with a private company.

While working for Upson County, Akeenan worked on special exception cases; drafted new ordinances; assisted in day-today zoning, code enforcement, occupation tax and building permit functions; supported the Planning Commission; coordinated projects with the County’s planning consultant Wood E&I and several other projects. His experiences in learning how new ordinances are written and the courtroom-like nature of presenting cases before the Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners were an education different from the classroom. Dealing with the public was very face-to-face at times.

According to Deputy Clerk, Tammy Buchanan, “It was encouraging to work with someone as young as Akeenan, who was willing to learn and wanted to be involved in all aspects of the department’s work. He just jumped in there.”

Akeenan sees himself working as an environmental planner, working on land use-related issues in his career. He’s open to working in the public or private sector, though he somewhat favors the public sector.

 

Akeenan’s interest in the Urban and Regional Planning degrees (He already has a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Planning from AA&M) started with conversations with his classmates about majors. He likes the involvement with and being able to help the people and places of his community. Akeenan knew very little about Upson County prior to his internship other than attending Flint Tech and passing through on his way to Gordon College classes.

Akeenan’s Supervisor, Doug Currier II, Director of the Building and Zoning Department, praised Akeenan’s interpersonal skills, “In an office where issues can often be adversarial and heated, Akeenan’s advanced customer service skills, putting people at ease, were major assets to the department.

Akeenan Bridges’ last day with the Building and Zoning Department will be Friday, July 30, 2021