The Women’s Center’s internship program is a selective opportunity in engaged scholarship, an academic practice rooted in the values of social justice and citizenship. This orientation prompts us, as members of the University of Virginia, to put learning into practice to foster social change and nurture community care.

The most profound learning often comes from experience that is supported by guidance, context, foundational knowledge, and intellectual analysis. That's why our internship and mentoring programs all synthesize theory and practice by combining coursework and work in the field for an iterative, reflective approach to taking action.

What you can expect

A worthwhile investment: Our internship is a year-long commitment. The amount of time you spend on internship activities will vary over the course of the year. Plan to spend up to 10 hours total per week on the internship experience and you will find that you are realizing the full benefits that our internship program has to offer. This time commitment includes:

• going to class (interns are required to take our 3-credit Front Lines of Social Change courses in the fall and spring).
• attending your team's regular meetings and carrying its programming.
• participating in activities that promote your professional growth.
• attending annual events hosted by other teams and the Women’s Center.
• actively sharing the Center's resources, opportunities, and events with your friends and classmates.
• engaging in service with community partners.

Learn about the teams that make up our internship program

Our Internship Leads Students to Interesting Places

You can find alumni of our internship program working in a wide variety of fields and we update you on them through spotlights on our blog from time to time. Several are serving in high schools around that state with the Virginia College Advising Corps, some are in major metropolitan centers with youth development programs like Urban Initiatives, and others are logging a lot of miles on their frequent flier cards with national advocacy organizations or worldwide consulting firms. We also survey current Women’s Center interns in an ongoing effort to align our implementation of the internship program with our goals for this engaged scholarship experience and with students’ expectations. Interns say they gained skills that are valuable for their careers and their community service such as:

• taking initiative
• leadership skills
• communicating effectively
• compromising in ways that bring progress toward a team goal
• working efficiently with others
• writing
• being organized
• stepping outside of my comfort zone
• collaborating to achieve a social good
• understanding social justice issues well and being able to articulate them to people who are unfamiliar with them

Annual Application Process for the Women’s Center Internship Program

Applications for students interested in interning with the Women's Center are accepted each year starting before winter break and ending on March 1 for the following year.