Community-Based Internship call for applications announced

OHIO’s Center for Community Engagement is seeking applicants for Community-Based Internships for Summer 2025.

This program connects students to nonprofit and public sector organizations to engage in mutually beneficial internships that provide Ohio University students with high impact experiential learning opportunities and provide community partners with tangible outcomes that directly benefit the southeast Ohio region.

“Since its pilot in 2019, the Community-Based Internship program has established a reputation that it fosters immense success for both the participating students and the community partners,” explains Mary Nally, director of the Center for Community Engagement. “Students gain hands-on experience and networking opportunities while the community partners benefit from capacity support, tangible results to address their priority issues, and a deeper relationship with the University.”

The Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia, The Mount Zion Black Cultural Center, and the Athens Birth Circle are the participating community partners this year.

College of Business student Sam Bikowski, who is studying sport management, said that he learned a great deal through his experience with the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA) last year.

“Overall this internship was so beneficial and has meant so much to me," Bikowski said. "I have gotten to learn new skills as well as see myself become a better person from it.”

The program also benefits the participating organizations in countless ways.

“It’s good for us to be able to connect with the amazing resource of these students and provide hands-on experience for them,” said Delia Palmisano, the director of communications and philanthropy at ORCA. She stated that she also sees impact beyond the tangible projects their student interns accomplish, as through the program ORCA “connects [interns] with some of these smaller communities that a student might not see otherwise, and I think it’s really important.”

Hattie Phillips (CMCOFA, MAA student) stated about her experience with Mount Zion Black Cultural Center, “The transformational element for me was the way that I was treated, […] they gave me the freedom to learn them. I will be thinking about the individuals and the small lessons they each taught me as they willingly brought me into their community for the rest of my career.”

Interested students can view and apply to Summer 2025 positions via the links below at ohio.givepulse.com:

• Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia
• Mount Zion Black Cultural Center
• Athens Birth Circle

Positions are 20 hours per week for 10 weeks from Monday, May 12 - Friday, July 18, 2025. Compensation is $11 per hour plus mileage reimbursement. Applicants must be U.S. citizens to be eligible. Applications will be accepted through Feb. 23, 2025.