Foothill First-Gen/ Low-Income STEM Paid Internship – Summer 2025

Description: FLI STEM Paid Internship – Summer 2025
Through the Science Learning Institute (SLI), this paid internship program places first-gen, low-income Foothill College students in their first internship either in research or industry, under the guidance of a mentor/ supervisor. Please see the Project Catalog before you fill out the application.
(Project Catalog Link: https://foothill.edu/sli/internships/pdf/summer2025/SLI%20FLI%20Summer%20Internships%202025%20Project%20Catalog.pdf)

Find out more at SLI’s webpage: https://foothill.edu/sli/internships/summer.html

Application deadline: Thursday, May 1, 2025, 11:59pm

Award amount and duration of internship: amount varies depending on internship selected

• 6 – 7 hours per week for 9 weeks – $1200
• 15 hours per week for 9 weeks – $2800
• 20 hours per week for 9 weeks – $3700

Payments will occur in two installments and will depend on successful completion at each stage: one in the middle of the internship and one at the end after completion of the final report and final presentation. Students will get paid either through a scholarship or through student employment.

Important dates: (make sure you can attend for all these days. Vacations and transfer schedules should accommodate these dates)

• Orientation – Wed, June 18 (12 – 1:15pm) or Fri, June 20 (1 – 2:15pm)
• Mandatory in-person training for all interns – Wed, July 2, 2025 (10am – 2pm)
• All internships start: week of July 7, 2025
• All internships end: week of September 1, 2025
• Final presentations – Thurs, Sept 4 and Fri, Sept 5 (two options)

If you are transferring to another institution in late summer/ fall 2025, keep in mind you are expected to finish your internship through the end date in order to get your full scholarship. If this is not possible, you will need to make other arrangements with SLI and your mentor/ supervisor BEFORE your internship starts.

Eligibility requirements:

• Foothill College is listed as your primary institution and you are enrolled at Foothill College in spring 2025 for at least 6 units.
• You must have demonstrated financial need through completion of the FAFSA, CA Dream Act or an explanation of financial need in the supplementary questions.
  We encourage you to fill out the FAFSA for 2024-25 if you haven’t done so already. This will greatly improve your chances of positive review, especially if you show high need.
• You should be a first-generation college goer – this can mean one or both parents did not graduate from college in the U.S. or outside the U.S.
• You should have interest in STEM discipline(s), but you don’t have to be a STEM major!

Internship requirements:
All internships require:

• Summer enrollment in ITRN 50 with Dr. Miloni Gandhi. Course tuition will be covered by the Science Learning Institute or your financial aid.
• A program orientation before the end of spring quarter and an in-person training before the internship starts (7/2/25). These are run by the Science Learning Institute.
• Submission of a final report of your internship experience at the end of the summer.
• Final presentation in early September for an audience of all interns and mentors in the program.
• Attendance at a biweekly (every other week) Zoom cohort seminar on professional development topics (included in your hours/week) – total of four seminars – all required.
• All above activities/ sessions are included in the total hours of your internship, on top of the hours on your internship project.

Priority given to:

• Students who have not previously had an internship or company experience.
• Students who have the intent to transfer to a 4-year university.
• First time degree earners (no prior degree such as a Bachelor’s or Associate).

Application requirements:

• Review the “required skills” in the Project Catalog and make sure you meet the minimum requirements. For some projects, this may include advance coursework and for others there are minimal requirements.
• Fill out academicworks general scholarship application.
• Fill out supplemental application questions, including uploading your resume.
• Upload unofficial transcript to scholarship portal.
• Full completion of the application, including name and contact information of a faculty/staff reference and upload of a resume. A full letter of recommendation IS NOT required.

Selection process:
A team from SLI will work with the project mentors/ supervisors to review applications and then select candidates. Finalists may be contacted for an interview depending on the project. Review the Project Catalog for more details. Students may get more than one offer but can only accept one project. Final decisions will be made by end of May.

Supplementary application questions:
Overall instructions:
Please answer the following questions completely and honestly.

For the first questions related to your choice of project, keep these points in mind: ·

• Refer to the Project Catalog to make your choices.
• You can only pick up to 5. Just pick up to 5 that you are most interested in. You don’t need to pick 5 if you’re only interested in fewer projects.
• It is okay for the paragraphs to sound very similar to each other if some of the answers are related.
• The “interest” paragraph will be included as part of your application for each project supervisor. Think of it as a short cover letter for each project.

For any questions, please reach out to Sophia Kim, SLI director, at kimsophia@fhda.edu.