INTERNSHIP FUNDING
See the other summer internship funding opportunties at Brandeis in this handy grid.
Louis D. Brandeis Social Justice WOW Fellowship FAQ
| How much is the award? | Who is eligible? |
| What types of internships qualify? | What is needed to apply? |
| What are the program requirements? | When is the selection & notification process? |
Awards
15-20 awards will be given out for summer 2009. Awards are $3,500 for domestic internships and $4,000 for internships outside the U.S. Award monies go to defray the costs associated with particpating in an unpaid internship and can be used for tuition, housing, travel, etc.
Current first years, sophomores and juniors from any academic program who are attending the University in the Fall may apply. Students must not be receiving any other internship compensation. Consideration given to applicants receiving need-based Financial Aid. Students may only receive this award once during their Brandeis career.
Students will secure domestic/international internship placements on their own, according to their own interest or network within the field of Social Justice. The internship agency's mission must address issues of Social Justice and should be not-for-profit.
Possible sites are those whose mission focus on issues stemming from social or economic inequality. Sample types of organizations include educational access, child and family policy, labor law, housing rights, healthcare advocacy, environmental justice,discrimination or other areas that concentrate on issues of democracy, health or social welfare. For examples of placement sites, see the past year's award recipients.
Students must secure interest from an organization willing to host the Brandeis student prior to knowing if the student will be funded.
Applicants may also seek assistance on finding an internship from Jessica Paquin and Rusmir Music from the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Hiatt Career Center.
Many internships can be found on the NACELink internship and job search database from the Hiatt Career Center.
Students persuing international internships are strongly advised to heed the Travel Warnings issues by the State Department. Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends Americans avoiding certain countries. You may find the list at http://travel.state.gov/
Before:
- Students must obtain letter of offer for an unpaid internship experience with an organization whose mission is oriented towards the issues of social justice.
- Recipients will be required to attend a April 28th pre-departure meeting to go over supervision, reflection and learning objectives, and other details.
- Recipients will be required to complete and submit a Learning Agreement detailing internship responsibilities and learning goals (signed by the supervisor) by June 12, 2009.
During:
- Recipients must have one mid-point phone conversation with the Academic Internship Coordinator to discuss progress towards personal, academic and career goals.
- Complete on-going Reflection Assignments as assigned (Examples: mid-summer check-in, journal, final reflection)
After:
- Recipients must submit all final reflective assignments and final evaluations (by the student and the site supervisor) by September 4th
- Recipients must submit a well thought out, detailed letter of appreciation to the donor
- Recipients agree to orally present on their experience in a forum-type setting to the Brandeis community in the fall or spring.
- Recipients are encouraged, but not required, to enroll in an internship seminar/course such as SJSP 89a: Internship Seminar in Social Justice, PAX 89 International Ethics Internship Seminar or ENVS 89a Environmental Internship for the fall 2009, so that they may further develop their experiences and interests with other students in a faculty-led seminar/course.
Application Materials:
By March 13th, 2009 students must turn in:
- Application & Short Answer Questions
- Résumé
- Recommendation from a Brandeis University faculty member AND a recommendation from a supervisor
- Letter of Interest/Offer from host agency
- Unofficial Transcript
A letter of interest from an agency is strongly adviseable. Students who include a letter of interest from a sponsoring agency will be considered as having a stronger application. See a Sample Letter of Interest (coming soon).
Application deadline is Noon, Friday, March 13th. A committee of faculty and staff will review applications and reserves the right to interview finalists. Selected students will be given an assigned time to interview with the selection committee members during the week of March 23rd. Award recipients and Alternates will be notified via Email by March 30th, 2009. Recipients will have a week to accept or the award is given to the next Alternate on the list.