Internship Opportunities for Students with Disabilities
1) Entry Point! On-campus interviews will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 8th and 9th
Jean Morrell, recruiter for Entry Point! Students interviewed have a much greater chance of landing internships. AAAS has developed unique partnerships with IBM, NASA, Merck, Google, Lockheed Martin, CVS, NAVAIR, Pfizer, Infosys, Shell, Procter & Gamble and university science laboratories to meet their human resources needs. Working with its partners, AAAS identifies and screens undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities who are pursuing degrees in science, engineering, mathematics, computer science, and some fields of business, and places them in paid summer internships.
E-mail sds_cu@cornell.edu or call 607-254-4545 to set up a 45-minute interview with Jean Morrell for December 8 or 9.
Eligibility criteria: 3.0 (or higher) gpa, full-time student status and U.S. Citizen or a right-to-work permit. For more information, visit their web site at: http://ehrweb.aaas.org/entrypoint/
From a student who participated last year:
I would like to thank Entrypoint! for all of the help they provided me. When I first met with the on campus interviewer, I was unsure what to expect; however, I figured there was nothing I could possibly lose. The interview exceeded my expectations as I had not realized that Entrypoint! placed students in internships with great companies such as Google, IBM, Merck and others just as renown.
In my case I received a well-paid internship at Merck. Not only did the internship help foster my professional skills, but furthermore the internship helped me gain crucial real world experience. On top of that, it also added a nice paragraph to my resume. Overall I am glad I sought a summer job through Entrypoint! as it is no easy feat to get a great internship, and therefore I know Entrypoint! is a significant part of why I received mine.
- Engineering Major, 2012
2) Emerging Leaders
Emerging Leaders is a competitive program that places undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities in fulfilling summer internships and provides them with leadership development opportunities. Emerging Leaders partners with businesses to help them find outstanding young talent while also considering diversity and inclusion in their hiring practices.
Student applicants are referred to businesses through a careful screening process that helps ensure that the internship placement is a good fit for both parties.
To qualify to apply for the Emerging Leaders program, you must:
- Self-identify as a person with a qualified disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act
- Have completed a minimum of 60 college/university-level credits
- Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA
- Maintain matriculated student status for the semester following your internship (graduating seniors immediately continuing on to graduate level study may apply)
- Have U.S. citizenship or be a documented alien legally authorized to work in the U.S.
For more information on the application process and to download the application, http://www.emerging-leaders.com/studentsHowToApply.htm - The application deadline is December 31, 2009.
(3) 2010 AAPD Summer Internships in Washington, D.C.
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is searching for college students with disabilities to apply for their Summer Internship Program.
Each year, AAPD coordinates two summer internship programs for college students with disabilities wanting to spend a summer working in Washington, DC. AAPD summer interns receive a living stipend, accessible housing, and travel to and from Washington, DC. Currently-enrolled undergraduate college students with any type of disability pursuing any type of undergraduate degree are encouraged to apply.
Hosted by AAPD and sponsored by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, the AAPD-MEAF Congressional Internship Program provides students interested in government, politics, law, or leadership the unique opportunity to intern on Capitol Hill for members of Congress. Previous AAPD-MEAF Congressional intern placements have included:
- Senator Barak Obama (D-IL)
- Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton (D-NY)
- Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS)
- Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
- House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
- Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
Hosted by AAPD and sponsored by Microsoft, the AAPD-Microsoft Federal IT Internship Program provides students pursuing careers in Information Technology the unique opportunity to intern in the IT divisions of federal agencies. Previous IT placements have included:
- US Coast Guard
- Department of Homeland Security
- US Patent and Trade Office
- National Science Foundation
- US Department of Transportation
- Transportation Security Administration
- Federal Aviation Administration
To apply for the AAPD Summer Internship programs, please visit http://www.aapd.com/AAPDInternship. For additional information or for questions, please contact the AAPD program staff at internship@aapd.com. (Application instructions in Microsoft Word format.)
4) The Workforce Recruitment Program
On-campus interviews will be held Tuesday, February 9th. The application form and other information will be posted here when available.
The WRP is a recruitment and referral program that connects public and private sector employers nationwide to college students and recent graduates with disabilities. The WRP is co-sponsored by the US Department of Labor, the Department of Defense and participating organizations throughout the United States. The WRP gives students in all fields of study the opportunity to market their abilities to a wide variety of potential employers across the United States. The program is a good way to gain valuable skills and experience.
Students returning to the Workforce Recruitment Program MUST interview again this year, even if the return has been already established.
From a student who participated last year:
In early February 2009, I had an interview with a representative from the Workforce Recruitment Program (arranged through SDS). In mid-March, I received a phone call from the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia. After a few phone conversations, I was hired! I spent twelve weeks of my summer working for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Z Department, Marine Corps Support Team.
A year before, the branch had hired a WRP intern who was a recent graduate student from Rochester Institute of Technology. After completing his summer as an intern, he was hired full-time. I had the opportunity of working with him as well as my mentor. The three of us worked together on integration of parts in a military vehicle. By working in a small group, I got the opportunity to really contribute to the project and get hands-on experience. At the end of the summer, I was invited to return to the Navy as a co-op student. As a co-op, the Department of Defense pays for half of the students tuition fee and provides a full-time job after graduation. The WRP program has provided me with an unbelievable opportunity: a job after college before my junior year!
- Sara Lohmann, Engineering '11