The "Uncommon" Internship

The traditional internship typically provides project-based work throughout the summer usually related to a student’s degree. It makes sense that a finance major would intern at H&R Block or an engineering major would complete an internship at Burns & McDonnell. Immersing yourself in an experiential learning opportunity, related to your major, is the quintessential way college students across the country explore the big question: Is this really what I want to do when I graduate? The degree-related internship can help students take eight weeks out of their summer to find out what it’s like to be (fill in the blank).

However, one scholarship provider found a way to flip the internship experience inward and develop the whole student. During this internship program, students don’t spend time completing projects but take nine weeks figuring who they are as young adults both personally and professionally.

Kauffman Scholars, Inc. (KSI), a multi-year college access and scholarship program in Kansas City, MO, has hosted a Legacy Internship Program for the past seven years for scholars in the program. The latest group of Legacy Interns consisted of three collegiate Kauffman Scholars studying finance, exercise science, and automotive engineering, along with a rising high school sophomore at the Ewing Marion Kauffman School. As a scholarship provider, providing a nine-week internship experience related to business, health, and engineering was not in KSI’s wheelhouse.  

So, what did KSI do to make the most out of this internship experience for three of its current scholars and one high school student? Rather than assign projects, the Legacy Internship team, consisting of three KSI staff members, decided to provided multiple professional and personal development opportunities.

Starting on day one, the Legacy Interns boarded a plane to Denver, CO, to attend the Global MindED First-Gen Student Leadership Program for three days. Once they returned to the office, the interns went through several workshops including CliftonStrengths, resume/cover letter writing, LinkedIn profile building, a mindfulness session, and a workshop on how to foster relationships. They were also paired with two mentors: one associate from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a KSI alumnus.

During their experience, the interns did get an opportunity to shadow at a company related to their major. Various interns spent a day at American Century Investments, BRR Architecture, and Oakes Auto in Kansas City (KC). On top of that, they completed volunteer service at Thelma’s Kitchen (KC’s first donate-what-you-can café) and PrepKC (a local organization providing engagement opportunities between students and business professionals and college faculty).

If that weren’t enough, KSI’s interns explored their city. They visited the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, tried a variety of local foods through a special KC foodie tour, and explored Nile Valley Aquaponics, a local urban food project. They even completed a KC scavenger hunt that took them to iconic KC landmarks like the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the National World War I Memorial. Additionally, they were featured on an upcoming episode of the LaunchCrate Publishing podcast by Cynthia Fails.

Throughout the entire internship, the interns worked on a final project related to their prescription for success, crafted from the memoir, Prescription for Success: The Life and values of Ewing Marion Kauffman (the Kauffman Foundation’s founder). The internship culminated with each intern taking all the pieces from their experience and sharing their prescription for success moving forward. Each intern spoke about how much they learned about themselves personally and professionally and how they have more clarity about what it is they want to do with their futures.

One Legacy Intern reflected on her experience saying, “this internship is a one-of-a-kind experience that I am beyond honored to have. This internship has taught me so much and has shown me how great Kansas City is.” Another intern mentioned that the community engagement aspect was the most valuable part of the internship experience. The KSI Legacy Internship Program is definitely in line with Mr. Kauffman’s legacy of being uncommon.

If you’re a program that supports students, similar to KSI, think about the investment you’re already making in your students. Possibly consider how providing an intense professional development and community engagement internship opportunity can be beneficial to your students. Internships don’t always have to be about the major. They can also focus on developing the student and allowing them to apply what they have learned to their possible career paths.

#TheUncommonInternship #KSILegacyInterns #ProfessionalDevelopment