The Office of Career Exploration and Development, in collaboration with the Conservatory Office of Professional Development, has implemented the new Internship+ Program, which allows students, starting with the class of 2025, to pursue an internship or research opportunity with $5,000 in financial support from the College. As part of the presidential initiative, Career Exploration and Development is working with the College and the Conservatory, with the aim of creating a program that all students will be able to take advantage of. 

Current third-year students are eligible to apply to the Internship+ Program, and applicants are expected to participate in programming coordinated by Career Exploration and Development and the Conservatory Office of Professional Development. This will prepare students for experiential learning opportunities through staff and faculty-led workshops, a career summit, and alumni career panels. Anthony Pernell-McGee, executive director of Career Exploration and Development and career advisor for the Law and Public Policy career community, laid out the difference between the Internship+ program and existing sources of summer funding. 

“So we have two programs,” Pernell-McGee said. “We have summer funding where we provide students — all students — funding for a summer experience if it’s [an] unpayable stipend. Usually in summer funding, there is an eligibility requirement for students who are extremely high need. And then there is the Internship+ program, which is an institution presidential initiative.” 

The Office of Career Exploration and Development also offers the summer experience funding program, which is accessible to all students except those in their last year. Eligibility for that program is determined based on financial need, alumni donations, and funding acquired from other sources. On the other hand, the Internship+ program is presently designed for the class of 2025. Third-years will be the first to participate in the program, which involves applying for funding to offset costs of an internship, research opportunity, performance-based experience, or other summer activity. Students may also apply for funding while receiving pay from a non-profit organization, for-profit employer, or government agency. 

“The support for this program comes from the College’s general operating fund and is complemented by support from donor gifts and grants that are also aimed at enhancing experiential learning for our students,” Rebecca Vazquez-Skillings, vice president for finance and administration, wrote in an email to the Review. “The College began to develop the Intership+ program in the summer of 2021.” 

Students must present a clearly defined experiential learning plan, including an itemized budget, to qualify for funding. Because the primary goal of the Internship+ program is to ensure that experiential learning opportunities are accessible to all students, any funding or wages provided by the sponsoring organization will be taken into consideration when reviewing a student’s overall budget proposal.

“The fact that we are leveraging this opportunity is amazing, because it’s a matter of equity and access,” Vice President and Dean of Students Karen Goff said. “Being able to allocate $5,000, even for unpaid internships, [means that] students who are income-eligible or have a higher financial need also have the same opportunity. This levels the playing field for all of our students. Regardless of their background or financial status, they’re able to take advantage of these opportunities that are given.” 

In addition to the application, which opened Sept. 5 and closes Dec. 15, students will have an additional application for funding once approved. The funding application opens Feb. 1 and closes April 26, 2024. Students must submit a resume with their application and have it reviewed by the Office of Career Exploration and Development, as well as submit an e-portfolio.

“What students will do is register for the program, and then they will select one of the career communities,”Pernell-McGee said. “There are six career communities in Oberlin. For students in the College of Arts and Sciences, there are certain requirements. They must have their resume reviewed and approved by our office [as well as] attend one career development workshop.”

Internship+ will be reviewed after each year to improve on different aspects of the program. The Conservatory Office of Professional Development plans to provide new experiences for students to get involved in. 

“The goal is to offer access to all Oberlin students for high-quality professional opportunities that include internship, research, performance, and other relevant experiences that bolster their on-campus learning and launch [them] from Oberlin into their careers,” Vasquez-Skillings wrote. “Our intention is to increase participation in such opportunities by all students and remove barriers to engagement based on students’ ability to afford living and travel expenses, for example.”