Ah, spring! Time for chocolate bunnies, flowers, and securing your next PAID summer internship before many deadlines close at the end of March and Early April. Internships are a great way to gain relevant skills, while still in college and give yourself an edge to future employers for full time employment offers after college graduation. With an internship, you gain real work experience while getting paid more than your usual summer job, cleaning pools or flipping burgers. Take this opportunity, and grab an internship like the last candied egg from your brother’s Easter basket. We have highlighted some of the most interesting internship programs available.
RESOURCES FOR ALL MAJORS
- Amherst College’s Summer Internship & Fellowship Opportunities for Students of Color Guide. This is a 76 page guide that covers internships across Law, STEM, Social Services, Health, Government and more!
- CHCI National Directory of Scholarships, Internships, and Fellowships for Latino Students. Simply enter your education level, region, and interests and the site will generate available internships and deadlines.
BUSINESS
When it comes to internships, Latinos interested in business ranging from Marketing to Finance have many options.
- SEO Careers (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity)
- The Hispanic Association of College and Universities (HACU)
- INROADS
All match minority students with corporate employers such as Deloitte, GE, Johnson & Johnson, General Motors, Lockheed Martin and Goldman Sachs. INROADS & SEO interns will also receive year-round mentorship and training.
Many major banks such as: Barclays, JP Morgan & Chase, run diversity programs, where minority students receive unique support. Google, Shell, and Southwest Airlines offer internships to students with sweet perks such as, round-trip airfare and paid housing. By interning with MGM Resorts International you could even live on the Las Vegas Strip!
STEM
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math
Instead of Wall street, become the next Bill Gates and apply for a STEM internship. There are many programs eager to diversify their staff and gain new perspective.
- US Department of Energy offers the Minority Educational Institution Student Partnership Program (MEISPP)
- National Science Foundation Summer Scholars offers internships through HACU and Quality for Education for Minorities Network.
- CIA and Dept. of Homeland Security also offer multiple internships for engineering and technology majors.
Love growing bacteria in the lab? Great! At universities such as Iowa and Harvard, you could spend a summer refining your pipetting skills. You don’t have to be an Iowa or Harvard student to apply. Don’t miss a chance to explore black holes with NASA!
MEDICINE
Between classes in Organic Chemistry and Physics II, pre-med students certainly don’t have it easy. Consider applying for a summer enrichment program at Cornell, Rutgers, Michigan, and Connecticut, where participants receive advanced MCAT-prep and professional training. Several universities including Pennsylvania, Wake Forest and Cornell offer summer research programs open to pre-med students from minority backgrounds only. Visit the Association of American Medical Colleges to learn more.
Want to have an impact now instead of in 5…10…15 years? (It’s a university acknowledged truth that med school lasts forever!) Intern with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to combat obesity among Hispanics, or provide critical support to expectant mothers with MHP Salud.
EDUCATION & GOVERNMENT
Me encanta América! Political Science majors have the most options when it comes to summer internships. The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) runs a National Internship Program, where students are matched with government agencies. The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute offers internships in Washington DC, designed to give you hands on-experience in public policy. Aspiring teachers should apply to the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics and the US Dept. of Education. Both programs provide excellent opportunities to influence major issues affecting Hispanics. The HACU offers internships to Education students, as does LULAC.
ARTS
Art students: thought you had the summer to work on your play or novel? Think again! As an intern at the Smithsonian museum, you’ll gain critical workplace skills while learning how to preserve humanity’s cultural heritage. The Smithsonian Latino Center offers internships for students committed to promoting Latino/a Arts. Be sure to check out the Latino Heritage Internship Program, dedicated to raising awareness of national parks and historic sites. This year’s deadline has already passed. But if you apply next year, you could find yourself camping with grizzly bears!
Time is running out! Make sure you’re doing more than flipping burgers this summer. Remember, if an internship doesn’t offer compensation (though many do), check to see if you can arrange for college credit instead. Not all programs list this benefit on their websites, so you may need to ask your internship coordinator or university registrar.
Writer: Tamara
Tamara is a PhD student working on her thesis from a cozy northeast apartment. In her spare time, she enjoys shopping the sales, tinkering with budget apps, and whatever else will stretch her modest stipend.
