Brandon Ouellet, a recent Mount Wachusett Community College graduate, spent his summer interning at Athol Town Hall.
Ouellet participated in the Massachusetts Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship Program, which offers paid internships in city and town finance offices, according to a community announcement.
During his internship, Ouellet worked on budgeting, payroll, accounts payable, property tax billing and cash reconciliation.
“Brandon has been shadowing our professional finance officers over the past six weeks following his time training with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue,” Shaun Suhoski, Athol town manager, said. “It’s so great to see local talent — someone from Athol High School and Mount Wachusett Community College — potentially pursuing a career in municipal finance. He’s been a great summer addition to our team, and I think he will find much success at UMass Amherst in the fall.”
Ouellet was one of two MWCC students and one of 30 statewide selected for the program. He credited his MWCC accounting professor, Chris Kinney, for encouraging him to apply.
After earning his associate degree at MWCC, Ouellet is set to continue his studies at UMass Amherst as a junior, with a strong interest in public service and municipal finance.
“Working in Athol Town Hall this summer has been incredible,” Ouellet said. “I’ve learned so much, and it’s rewarding to see how the work I’m doing can make a difference for my hometown.”
The Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship Program aims to prepare students for careers in municipal finance and help cities and towns attract and train a skilled, diverse workforce.
This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: MWCC student’s Town Hall internship jump-started a finance career