Internships
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: Nov. 27, 2024
- Internship window: Spring 2025 semester
Friends of the Kaw, a local riverkeeping organization that advocates for the health and protection of the Kansas River, seeks two student interns for the spring of 2025 with a possible option to extend through the summer or fall of 2025, depending on funding. Interns will be responsible for gathering and presenting key information — scientific data and historical material, respectively.
Interested applicants should review the full position description for the data internship (PDF) and the history research internship (PDF) before applying through the honors internship application portal.
- Application due date: Nov. 27, 2024
- Internship window: Spring 2025 semester
Kansas Action for Children, a nonpartisan children's advocacy group, seeks students for the spring of 2025 to fill both a legislative internship and communications internship, each of which will expose students to various policy areas including health, education, childcare, economic security, budget, and tax.
Interested applicants should review the full position description for the communications internship (PDF) and the policy internship (PDF) before applying through the honors internship application portal.
- Application due date: Nov. 27, 2024
- Internship window: Spring 2025 semester
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 several exciting internship opportunities for undergraduate students looking to gain experience working in a multifaceted regional nonprofit organization on environmental issues. Each intern will work under the supervision of the program managers/director for a specific area, which applicants should identify in their cover letter. This internship can satisfy the Professional Development & Social Entrepreneurship Enhanced Learning Experience (ELE).
Interested applicants should review the full position description (PDF) before applying through the honors internship application portal.
- Application due date: Nov. 27, 2024
- Internship window: Spring 2025 semester
Monarch Watch seeks a student intern for the spring of 2025. The internship offers an exciting opportunity for undergraduate students 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: Nov. 27, 2024
- Internship window: Spring 2025 semester
The Watkins Museum of History, a non-profit organization committed to preserving Douglas County heritage, seeks a student intern for the spring of 2025. This internship will allow one student to gain valuable experience in a nonprofit organization while networking with professionals in marketing, communications, outreach, and community service as they assist with the promotion and coordination of the museum's annual Earth Day Fair.
Interested applicants should review the full position description (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 $1,000 to $2,000 designated for nonprofit internships. Some additional compensation-related considerations:
- 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.