Internships

The University Honors Program partners with several area organizations to provide internship opportunities to students seeking hands-on experience with local nonprofits.
Woman and man look at architectural blueprints

Objectives

As interns, honors students develop career readiness as they apply their learning to real-world, professional experiences. Students emerge from their internships having strengthened core competencies, as defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), and made progress on the program's Enhanced Learning Experience requirement.

Current Opportunities

  • Application due date: April 21, 2025
  • Internship window: June 2 – August 1, 2025

Just Food, Douglas County's food pantry, seeks students for the summer of 2025 to fill both a communications internship and an Impact Team internship, each of which will expose students to the work of Just Food and the community members it serves.

Interested applicants should review the full position description for the communications internship (PDF) and the Impact Team internship (PDF) before applying through the honors internship application portal.

  • Application due date: April 21, 2025
  • Internship window: June 2 – August 1, 2025

Mid-America Regional Council, which describes itself as an "association of city and county governments and the metropolitan planning organization for the bistate Kansas City region," offers internship opportunities for undergraduate students looking to gain experience working in a multifaceted regional nonprofit organization on environmental issues.

Interested applicants should review the full position description (PDF) before applying through the honors internship application portal.

  • Application due date: April 21, 2025
  • Internship window: June 2 – August 1, 2025

Monarch Watch seeks a student intern for the summer of 2025. The internship offers an exciting opportunity for an undergraduate student in the University Honors Program to gain experience with a local organization with international reach that leads education, conservation, and research programs focused on the monarch butterfly, its habitat, and its spectacular fall migration. 

Interested applicants should review the full position description (PDF) before applying through the honors internship application portal.

  • Application due date: April 21, 2025
  • Internship window: June 2 – August 1, 2025

The Watkins Museum of History, a non-profit organization committed to preserving Douglas County heritage, seeks two student interns for the summer of 2025: one to work with the museum's exhibitions team and one to assist with outreach.

Interested applicants should review the full position description for the exhibitions internship (PDF) and the outreach internship (PDF) before applying through the honors internship application portal.

Qualifications

The opportunities listed here share common qualifications that interested students should possess:

  • Active status in the program, and good academic standing as defined as a 3.25 cumulative GPA and demonstrated progress on completion requirements
  • Excellent communication, organization, and time-management skills
  • Ability to work remotely and independently, and to multitask effectively
  • Dependability, positivity, and a sense of humor
  • Proficiency in Microsoft and Google productivity software, as well as social media platforms and tools

Organizations may also seek applicants with majors related to their mission or position.

Compensation

The honors program is able to support students pursuing the above experiences with Honors Opportunity Awards (HOAs) of $1,500 designated for nonprofit internships. Some additional compensation-related considerations:

  • Financial support related to an internship may have implications on cost of attendance. Students should meet with their financial aid counselor to check before applying.
  • Students selected for an internship who have concurrent, pending HOA applications may have those applications reprioritized.
  • Based on the needs of the internship site and available funding, an internship might be extended a semester, but students are limited to two total semesters of HOA funding for any honors-coordinated internships.
  • Individual internship opportunities may also include additional financial support provided by the organization.

Questions about the nonprofit internships coordinated by the University Honors Program can be directed to the program's student experience coordinator, Preston Braun.