Internships provide real-world work experience to build a bridge between classroom studies and one’s future career. These experiences are avenues to increased skills, expanded networks, enhanced social capital, and offer direct pathways to job offers.
Your support of the Career Center Internship Scholarship Fund can open the door for a UO student to participate in a meaningful internship that prepares them for their future career. This fund assists undergraduate students, regardless of major, with expenses while they work at an unpaid or low-paid internship. Having this vital support means our students can gain critical work experience without going into debt to pay for rent, food, utilities or other expenses.
With this support, Jessica Molina, a psychology and art major who plans to become a clinical mental health therapist, called her internship “completely life-changing” because it directly impacts student success.
“Success in critically enabling [students] to understand their career path, success in providing support in marginalized communities, and success in fostering those who want to take action and make the world a better place. I cannot thank the donors and staff enough for their generous support, and the gift it meant to me to be able to intern in the Philippines.”
Other students like Jade Ishimine, a business major with aspirations for a career in marketing, secured a competitive internship in her home state of Hawaii for the summer and applied what she has been learning in the classroom.
“I got the chance to create content for their social platforms, which helped me develop skills in videography, editing and interviewing. I also gained important soft skills like communication and teamwork, which have been important to my professional growth.”
Student career preparation is one of the pillars of the University of Oregon’s new “Oregon Rising” strategic plan. For many students, an internship is a signature opportunity that helps them connect in-class learning with real-world opportunities. Read more stories about Ducks interning around the globe.
Internships Matter. Your support matters. Give today and enable a student to pursue the internship of their dreams.
