Thanks to a grant from The Jolley Foundation, Career Services has up to five $4,000 stipends available for Davidson students who are offered and accept an unpaid internship with a nonprofit organization or government agency anywhere in South Carolina this summer. The purpose of the grant is to encourage students to explore living and working in the state, where historically many Davidson students have not chosen to live after graduation. Grants are now being accepted and will be awarded on a rolling basis from now through April.
2013 marks the second year that these grants have been available. Last summer, Graham Whittington ’14 and Maddie Kern ’13 used the funds to explore the fields of law and marine biology education in Greenville and Edisto Island, respectively. Check out the blog posts they wrote about their experiences!
Application Process
1. Find an Internship. Apply for unpaid internships in South Carolina with any nonprofit organization or government entity. We will be working on adding some to our WildcatLink system over the next month, but you should also be looking and applying for internships on your own. Once you are offered the internship, you may apply for the grant.
2. Apply for the Grant. Write a resume and a one-page cover letter (addressed to the South Carolina Internship Grant Selection Committee) that describes your internship and its relevance to your professional and academic goals. The letter should also include the e-mail address of your supervisor or the internship coordinator at the organization where you have been offered an internship. Submit these documents by e-mail to careers@davidson.edu.
FAQ
Q: Does the internship have to be full-time?
A: You must work a minimum of 300 hours over the course of the summer to qualify for the grant. There is no minimum number of total weeks or hours per week as long as you meet this minimum hour requirement.
Q: I want to apply, but I’m having trouble locating suitable internships. Where do I start?
A: Stop by the Office of Career Services during walk-in hours, 1:30 – 3:30, and we can overview some helpful resources and help you come up with a networking and search strategy.
Q: What if I find an unpaid internship with a for-profit (a bank, a law firm, etc.)?
A: We are only able to fund internships with nonprofits and government agencies with the grants this year.
Good luck with your search and application! Any additional questions about these awards can be directed to Ashley Neff, Assistant Director for Internships, at asneff@davidson.edu.