About

Project Pull is a paid eight-week summer internship program run by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, placing high school students from San Francisco's diverse communities directly inside City and County government departments. Interns are matched with a full-time City employee who serves as a workplace mentor throughout the program, and placements span departments including communications, information technology, engineering, natural resources, community benefits, business, and architecture. The program runs daily and requires full-time commitment — participants cannot schedule other jobs or summer school alongside it. It is open to students from any San Francisco high school, including SFUSD schools and SF charter schools, with a deliberately accessible GPA threshold of 2.75.

The internship is structured around real departmental work rather than simulated projects. Interns contribute to day-to-day agency functions — past participants have published social media content, conducted field surveys of natural resources, supported community outreach, and performed data analysis alongside working professionals. A structured cohort component runs parallel to the placement: all interns participate in group activities including a debate project that culminates in a presentation before SFPUC staff, building professional communication and civic reasoning skills across placements. Program staff facilitate professional development throughout the eight weeks.

Project Pull was founded in 1996 by two SFPUC employees who wanted to actively draw talented young San Franciscans into public service careers — and the pipeline has held: many program alumni are now full-time City employees, some at the SFPUC itself. For San Francisco high school students interested in public service, urban infrastructure, environmental science, or civic careers — particularly those from communities underrepresented in government work — Project Pull offers a paid, mentored, and substantive introduction to how a major American city actually functions.