“One of the most common challenges students face, now more than ever before, is the search for purpose,” says Alex Johnson, senior director of the Semester for Impact (SFI) at the College for Social Innovation; the program is part of ̽̽’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). “SFI is a way to accelerate that search.”
A full-time, credit-bearing internship program supported by Americorps, SFI matches students with semester-long internships in Vermont’s social-change sector, which consists of organizations that foster positive transformation in areas like affordable housing, civil rights, literacy, and women’s rights.
Open to all ̽̽ students, the program offers a way to dedicate an entire semester to an internship in Burlington while remaining enrolled at ̽̽. “The internships we provide give students a chance to see positive social impact happening up close,” Johnson says. He adds that the student interns have offered critical extra support to organizations that aid and improve life in Burlington, enabling these organizations to do even more of what they already do so well.
Danae Moyer, Madison Whitney, and Brook Tester are three CAS undergrads who are already making an impact through SFI. Read on to learn about their experiences in helping to create social change.
Danae Moyer
English major Danae Moyer ‘25 was planning to relocate for a different internship program last spring but was unable to sublet her room in her apartment. Choosing to join SFI’s program instead was an excellent solution, as she was able to keep her apartment and still have an internship experience.
Moyer interned as a Housing and Community Development Fellow for the City of Burlington in the Community and Economic Development Office. “My work over the semester consisted of doing a lot of research, learning about different grants and projects that the department manages, shadowing city employees in other departments, attending meetings, editing contracts for grant recipients, and working on my special projects,” she says.
Her main special project was analyzing a community development block grant (CDBG) and making suggestions for improvements to the process of allocating funds for housing. She says she’s always been passionate about affordable housing for all, so working in the city department in charge of these programs was a perfect fit.
Moyer also learned about the inner workings of city government, grant management, housing programs, and how nonprofits interact with city governments. “The thing that stood out to me the most was how complex each position within the department is,” she says. “I spent a lot of my first month solely focused on learning about the CDBG grant and still hardly scratched the surface.”
The experience also introduced Moyer to jobs she didn’t know existed and gave her a taste of what it will be like to enter her career journey after graduation. “The knowledge and experience I have gained here will be a significant advantage for me,” she says.
Madison Whitney
A senior majoring in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies (GSWS), Madison Whitney wanted to do some learning outside the classroom that would help her post-graduation. “I thought this program would be a great opportunity to get more hands-on experience and learn more about possible careers,” she says.
Whitney interns for H.O.P.E. Works, a nonprofit organization that provides free and confidential services for sexual violence survivors and others impacted by sexual violence in Chittenden County. She volunteers for the 24/7 hotline, goes with advocates to family and civil court, helps support awareness-raising events, tables on local college campuses, and organizes data about individuals served.
The internship aligns quite well with Whitney’s academic goals as a GSWS major, as sexual violence has a strong connection to gender and sexuality. She is also very interested in both sex education and consent education, so being able to explore these topics through the lens of prevention education has been extremely fulfilling.
“I have learned a lot about trauma and crisis support as well as medical and court processes in relation to sexual violence,” Whitney says. “I also have gained a new perspective on Title IX and how universities support (or don’t support) survivors of sexual violence.” What has struck her most is the resilience of survivors and the people who support them, who have to fight against rape culture to find justice and healing.
The experience has also been extremely valuable, Whitney says, because she has learned skills that she can apply to future jobs. “I am more confident in my skills, I have made a lot of connections to nonprofits in Vermont, and I feel like I now have a lot more options for after I graduate.”
Brook Tester
Brook Tester, a junior majoring in English, applied for the SFI program “to understand and get experience in a field I am very interested in,” she says. She has always known that she wanted to work for an organization that helps people and builds community.
At Vermont Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Tester interns as a Community Programs Evaluation Fellow. She reaches out to partnering organizations, interviews librarians, attends events, conducts research, and analyzes data.
In her personal life and academic career, Tester has always been interested in both human culture and studying literature, so working within the mission of Vermont Humanities to spread literacy and conversation around the humanities has been very exciting for her. “It has been extremely enjoyable to meet with coworkers to discuss our programs and to talk to new people every day,” she says. “I feel like I am getting real experience in a professional setting for the first time.”
In addition, Tester has learned a lot about working in an office and how much work it takes to plan events. “Seeing how much everyone cares about each other and the humor and life they bring to the organization has been so nice,” she says, adding that she has a lot of respect for people who work in the humanities and dedicate their time to this very important part of every community.
“Going into college, I never thought I would be able to work at an internship during the school year in a field I care a lot about and get credit for it,” Tester says. “I’m excited to see how my experience in this internship will prepare me for my future career.”