Thank you for your interest in hosting a RISE intern at your organization! Our goal is to provide students with professional experience in a resilience-related field. We aim for RISE interns to get paid opportunities that complement classroom learning, grow their interpersonal skills, and prepare them for careers or continued education after graduation. We ask that all RISE supervisors have the capacity to onboard and support their RISE interns and be invested in our students’ success.
The RISE program is committed to ensuring that all students have access to paid opportunities in their field. Experiential learning opportunities provide a sense of belonging and community, build confidence, and connect students to mentors, which are all important elements to increasing retention and graduation rates. Research shows the impact that paid internships have on post-graduate success, with students who participated in internships are 2x more likely to report full-time employment after graduation, and this impact is even larger for “students of color,” “first-generation students,” and “female students” who are roughly 3x more likely to report full-time employment after graduation (Davis & Forecki, 2021).
RISE funding is limited to student wages and occasionally travel.
RISE supports partners with funding to provide paid internships. Eligible partners include University of Arizona departments, government agencies, nonprofits, businesses, and international organizations across the globe. Internship dates are flexible and can be semester-long, summer-long, year-long, etc.
RISE internships vary greatly. In some instances, students are placed in internships with a university department and RISE sends funding to the home department to disperse on their own. In other instances, RISE staff work with off-campus organizations to develop an internship description, recruit students, and create an appropriate plan for payment.
We accept internship proposals from potential internship hosts on a rolling basis. RISE currently has funding available to the Big Idea Challenge awardees looking to host student research interns on their team during the 2025-26 academic year. Please see the call for proposals for Big Idea Challenge awardees only below:
Requirements
All RISE internships must relate to resilient environments and/or communities. This can look like a lot of different things! Our internships have focused on climate change research, water conservation, communication, outreach, and more.
All RISE internships must provide students with a workplace setting experience to provide students with professional opportunities they normally do not receive from classroom learning. Our goal is for students to learn and practice interpersonal skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
The internship host must have at least one person identified to supervise the RISE intern during their internship. Their supervisor must be able to meet with them on a regular basis to provide them with consistent communication, clear directions and guidelines, and provide constructive feedback. We recognize that it requires a lot of time and effort to onboard interns into their team and organization and appreciate your time. We ask our RISE supervisors to be patient and understanding of the challenges students’ face outside of their internship.
A strong mentorship opportunity is extremely valued and makes a big impact in students’ lives. RISE internships should provide students with access to a mentor during their internship. The mentor should be somebody who is invested in the student’s success and ensures that the student feels safe, seen, and heard in the workplace. Their mentor may be the same person as their supervisor, if that person can provide both, and it is highly encouraged that the mentor be a person that the student will work with regularly. The mentorship should be focused on the RISE intern learning valuable and transferrable skills.
Students will complete a work plan with their internship supervisor and have regular check-ins with them to ensure internship deliverables are met. Students must complete their full hours and project deliverables for their internship. The RISE program requires students to work on projects that help them obtain workforce skills in diverse fields and work settings, therefore specific deliverables will vary depending on the internship.
Funding is primarily used for student wages. RISE internships must pay a minimum hourly rate of $19/hour. Limited funding support for travel is also available. Proposed budgets are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and it is encouraged to include all project costs in the proposed budget. The budget will go through a review process and feedback will be communicated with partners on allowable and non-allowable costs.
As we enter the 2025-26 academic year, we are shifting towards a cost-sharing model with our RISE partners. We are still in the process of implementing this and will work with RISE partners on an individual basis to find a cost-sharing agreement to determine funding options.
All partners interested in funding their internship opportunities can submit a proposal application through the Resilience Internships and Student Experiences webpage through the Internship Survey. Applicants will also be asked to submit a proposed budget and must use the indicated Budget Template that is on the RISE webpage. Once application is received it will go through the review process and applicants will be contacted by the RISE program. Programs are encouraged to submit one proposal per project and include all students participating in that project in the proposal.
In addition to providing funding, RISE can assist with recruitment for interested partners. RISE staff will list internship opportunities to recruit applicants. Students will be apply directly through the RISE partner and the supervisor(s) will be responsible for application review and selection.
We ask our RISE supervisors to keep the application process as simple as possible to ensure that all students can apply. Please do not ask for references or any special work samples that students cannot easily share from typical coursework.
If you are interested in hosting a RISE intern, please submit your application below.
Internship Application for Host Organizations Budget Template