Among Salt Lake Community College’s internship opportunities, the Washington, D.C. program invites students to complete an internship in the nation’s capital.
Whether on-campus or out-of-state, internships help students explore potential careers while working with industry professionals. The D.C. program differentiates itself by offering students the opportunity to work with federal agencies or organizations that collaborate with federal operations in the D.C. area.
However, despite the prevalence of federal work in Washington, D.C., the program is not limited to students interested in federal work or studying political science.
“Whether your interest is politics – or whether you’ll ever take a political science class beyond the internship – is not the important part of it,” said Scott E. Brown, director of local government relations. “It’s the experience of going to D.C. and working in that environment.”
Internships in D.C. can consist of work for lawmakers’ offices, nonprofits and media companies. However, Brown noted that he works directly with each student to determine their area of interest to then find a corresponding internship.
“[The program] is open to the student’s interests,” Brown said. “Many organizations have options in D.C.”
Upon competition of the internship, students will receive academic credit that counts toward graduation. The number of credits students can receive ranges from three to six, depending on the specific program and department of choice.
Although traveling out-of-state for a semester may make any internship seem unfeasible due to the cost, SLCC provides financial assistance that may cover most if not all internship expenses.
According to the D.C. program webpage, assistance includes paid-for housing, stipends for traveling and living expenses and tuition waivers. Financial assistance can total up to $5,000 and is flexible if a student finds they need slightly more, Brown said.
“The goal is to not make money be the reason why students don’t go to D.C.,” he said. “This is such a good opportunity from a financial and tuition standpoint.”
The D.C. internship application asks students to meet various requirements – such as letters of recommendation, a transcript and a current resume – but it is not an issue if a student cannot meet a point of criteria.
“The application process is not meant to be a hurdle,” Brown said. “If a student shows they’re interested and completes the work of pulling as much information as they can, I’ll start working with them right away.”
For potential employers in D.C. to consider students for internships, students must apply weeks ahead of their targeted semester. Brown advises students to complete the application by the following time periods for each semester: Mid-September for spring 2022; early April for summer 2022; early June for fall 2022.
On-campus internships
In addition to the D.C. program, SLCC Career Services provides students with the opportunity to obtain a paid, on-campus internship. The Campus Internship Program, or CIP, connects students with an office or department of SLCC according to their area of study.
“[CIP] allows students to develop skills in their area of study here at SLCC,” said Administrative Assistant April Teran.
Career Services also hosts various workshops throughout the year to aid students in CIP positions.
CIP eligibility requires students to be enrolled in nine academic credits during the fall and spring semesters and six academic credits during the summer semester. Students must also maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA and must not be receiving a tuition waiver or scholarship.
Students in a CIP position earn $12 per hour and work a maximum of 20 hours per week.
