Intern Success Story: Piper Darlington
By Nadie Iranpour, Project Management Intern
July 11, 2019
Piper Darlington began her career at the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) as a budget intern in January 2013. She worked under the CFO at the time in the Division of Accounting and Finance. She had just completed her Master’s degree from the University of Denver that was focused on International Relations – specifically microfinance and global economic development.
Piper had previously been a Peace Corps volunteer (she went to Panama from 2008-2011) and knew much about international development. Her unique mindset and experience led her to be an excellent choice as an intern because she brought different techniques and context to the public project sphere.
Photo of Piper Darlington
Piper’s internship at CDOT introduced her to state government and how finance and budgeting worked for tax-funded projects. She was able to network with high-level individuals at CDOT who could inform her about the process and where could fit into state-level transportation projects. Her projects at CDOT were substantive and gave her valuable insight into the challenges the state was facing with infrastructure and budgeting. Piper was always given opportunities to do new things like run meetings, take new trainings, and participate in high-level meetings with managers and leaders.
Piper is now an Enterprises Budget & Special Projects Manager for the Colorado High Performance Transportation Enterprise and Bridge Enterprise, groups within CDOT that are tasked with innovation in transportation infrastructure projects. However, as an enterprise, they function more as a government-owned business – meaning they are financially and legally separate from CDOT. They have specific mandates and funding attached to them. They typically implement express lanes that charge tolls, a capability unique to their enterprise.
Her next challenge is to focus on the “cloverleaf” of land between Colfax (SH 70) and Federal (SH 287) right outside the CDOT headquarters building. This area is especially difficult for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate safely and is a magnet for accidents. Piper and her team will be considering how to make this a better multimodal hub to ensure the safety of this area for the public.
It is obvious that Piper is a very successful and valued member of the CDOT team. This stems from being a very successful intern. Piper offers the sage advice based on her experiences that you should not be afraid to put yourself out there. Show high-level people who you are and what you can accomplish. Impress them by inspiring them and never forget to thank them for their support and trust in your abilities. Piper has come a long way since 2013. She is now responsible for CDOT’s major and special projects and continues her work with the passion to make Coloradoans safer.