Throughout January, Hollins students are performing meaningful work and gaining real-world experience at businesses and organizations across Virginia and around the country. More than 130 undergraduates are spending the 2024 Short Term completing internships in fields ranging from STEM, the arts, state government, and communications to healthcare, non-profits and NGOs, education and research, historical preservation, and finance. “Internships provide students with opportunities to gain familiarity with specific work environments, develop new work-related skills, begin to grow professional connections and mentors, and gain confidence in their abilities to adapt to a new workplace,” said Jeffrey White, director of Career and Life Design (CLD) at Hollins. “Such work-based experiences also allow our students to apply their depth of learning at Hollins in new professional contexts.” Part of the university’s Rutherfoord Center for Experiential Learning, CLD is instrumental in connecting students with both domestic and international internships. It works closely with students to build relationships with Hollins alumnae/i, employers, and professionals in students’ fields of interest. Among the Short Term interns are 46 students who are participating in the university’s Signature Internship Program, which gives sophomores, juniors, and seniors the chance to pursue an array of opportunities sponsored by Hollins alumnae/i. These internships carry academic credit and include housing as well as recently increased stipend funds based on location, type of housing, and other factors. According to White, this is the first increase in stipend funds since 2015. This year, 29 businesses and organizations are hosting Hollins students in cities throughout the country, including: Atlanta, Georgia (Atlanta Botanical Garden) Bloomington, Indiana (Kinsey Institute) Fredericksburg, Virginia (Rappahannock Electric Cooperative) New York, New York (Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services; Day One; Estée Lauder Global Communications; PANO; Peace Boat US) Richmond, Virginia (Garden Club of Virginia; Office of State Senator Jennifer Boysko ‘89; Maymont Foundation; Office of State Delegate Betsy Carr ‘68; Preservation Virginia; Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts) Roanoke, Virginia (Art on First; Boyd-Pearman Photography, Bradley Free Clinic; Katie Clemons, LLC; LinDor Arts) San Antonio, Texas (Vascular Perfusion Solutions) Washington, DC (American Institutes for Research; Diplomatic and Consular Officers Retired; International Spy Museum; Omega Wealth Management; Pride & Grit Consulting; Library of Congress; The Phillips Collection; White House Historical Association) “Nationally, data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers shows that interns receive more job offers upon graduation than those who didn’t do internships during college,” White noted. Photo: Hollins students intern at Peace Boat US in New York City during the 2023 January Short Term.
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