The Internship Experience as a Low-Income Student

Unpaid internships perpetuate classism. While internships can be an excellent experience for young students and professionals, unpaid internships are problematic. The students who can afford to take on unpaid internships are usually the students who come from well-off families. Unpaid internships are free labor. Students like me, who work to pay their expenses and provide for their families cannot afford to work 20+ hours a week for free. Unpaid internships do not allow low-income students to have the same professional development opportunities as higher-income students. This means that low-income students do not get the opportunities to build their resume, which is particularly important when applying to jobs. This system thus keeps the wealthy in positions of power. 

During my first two years of college, I heard the word internship a lot, and I always assumed it was just something that rich kids had the opportunity to do. As a first-generation college student, there has been a lot I have had to learn, and internships are one of those things. 

When I found out about the Julian Grace Foundation (JGF) and their summer internship, one of the appealing aspects of it was that it was a paid internship. Applying to the JGF internship, I did not have a complete understanding of the philanthropic field. I did not understand how foundations worked, but I applied because I wanted to learn what it was all about. In the short amount of time I have worked with JGF I have learned what foundations are and their role in the non-profit sector. This internship experience has not been the one I had hoped for due to COVID-19, however it has still been a valuable experience for me. I have learned many things about philanthropy but also about professional and personal development that will be useful for me as I continue my career. If this internship was not a paid position, I would not have applied. If I had not had this experience, I am not sure where I would have made essential connections to expand my network and grow my understanding of how to share my story.

Throughout this internship I have continually learned about the kind of person I am. I have been able to learn how I work best and what I value in a work environment. I have also received the opportunity to learn how to brand myself and connect with others in the field. Not only has this been a personal growth opportunity but also an opportunity to learn about how foundations work and their role in advancing social equity. I am very passionate about social justice issues and I aspire to help with the elimination of these issues. Understanding more about the world of philanthropy, I can now use this knowledge as tools to advance not only my career, but also to do my part in creating a more just and equal society. 

I hope to see more organizations offer paid internships and chose students who understand the issues in their communities because they are actively involved. Paying interns is vital so that they can gain professional experience and provide for their families. It is also essential to bring people with diverse backgrounds into the philanthropic field and the non-profit sector. Diversity should not only exist within internship programs but in the organizations overall. The philanthropic sector cannot expect to create changes in the issues of inequality without including those being affected by or experiencing the social problem. The people who live in communities affected by inequalities are the ones that have the answers and who know what needs to be done to move forward.