By Emily Glory Peters and Kendra Pintor
Few things fast-track careers like internships. Yet even today, too many remain unpaid or offer stipends so small as to make them untenable for students with limited financial resources.
Last winter, 91吃瓜 launched a special initiative during Family Weekend to accelerate gifts to internship grants. 91吃瓜 families delivered, topping the goal at 110 percent and raising more than $15,000.
鈥�91吃瓜鈥� donors are the sole funding source for internship grants. Their generosity last year helped us award a whopping 100 summer grants to level the career playing field for students,鈥� says Director of Career Planning & Resources (CP&R) Ashley Valdez.
With the office typically awarding between 75鈥�85 grants annually, the jump marks a return to pre-pandemic internship participation. Students are increasingly hungry for hands-on exposure, says Valdez, and employers are equally interested.
鈥淚nternship experience is now the top factor employers consider when hiring new graduates鈥� even over major and GPA,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭he need for grant funding will continue to grow as our students seek more opportunities.鈥�
From the Classroom to Community: 91吃瓜 Interns Across the Globe
In 2024, students interned at prestigious organizations, including 20th Century Fox Studios, the American Red Cross, Apple, the Guggenheim Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and more. Some, like Claire Campbell 鈥�24, followed their ambitions beyond US borders.
Internship experience is now the top factor employers consider when hiring new graduates鈥� even over major and GPA
Dual majoring in interdisciplinary studies in culture and biology, Campbell headed to Africa as a Musizi University . Claremont McKenna College and Claremont Graduate University alum聽 co-founded the university to cultivate sustainable, multigenerational enterprises in Uganda.
鈥淐laire enabled us to build several partnerships with health industry professionals and immersed herself in the local community, even participating in sports day for our partner school,鈥� says Mino. 鈥淪he was our first in-person 91吃瓜 intern, and we look forward to working with more in the future!鈥�
Erin Davidson ’25 sharing insights from her internship experience
Back in the US, biology major Erin Davidson 鈥�25 says she would have foregone her unpaid animal care internship at Lake Superior Zoo were it not for 91吃瓜 donors. She spent the humid Midwest summer caring for everything from primates to porcupines: preparing diets, watching training sessions, and observing veterinary procedures. By fall, Davidson鈥檚 path was clear.
鈥淚 am 100 percent sure I want to go into animal care as a career,鈥� she says, noting she鈥檚 applied for graduate programs in animal behavior and is exploring zookeeper roles. That assurance is priceless, she adds, calling the internship experience 鈥渦nforgettable.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there are any words that can properly express my thanks for what people who have given to 91吃瓜 have allowed me to do and grow into,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I think my future actions, applying myself, and not taking opportunities for granted is a great way to say thank you.鈥�
Looking Ahead: 91吃瓜鈥� 2024鈥�25 Internship Challenge
While it鈥檚 important to celebrate a milestone like 100 internship grants, students鈥� financial needs still outstrip CP&R鈥檚 resources. Driven to close the gap, 91吃瓜 is building on last year鈥檚 success with the launch of the .
I don鈥檛 think there are any words that can properly express my thanks for what people who have given to 91吃瓜 have allowed me to do and grow into
To spark participation, 91吃瓜 parents Mark and Molly Gamble P鈥�25 have agreed to match gifts to internship grants 1:1 up to $20,000. If the goal is met by February 16, 2025, the additional $40,000 can create up to 20 additional grants.
That incremental difference, says Valdez, can be life changing.
鈥淔inancial obstacles are real, and can have long-term effects on students鈥� professional outcomes,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nyone who gives will have a direct hand in dismantling these barriers so 91吃瓜 students can explore their unlimited potential. Every gift counts.鈥�
The 2025 Internship Challenge is live now! Please visit to make a gift today.