Around Town: Getting a head start on next summer
Planning a trip to Washington, D.C.? Be sure to contact Rep. Adam Schiff’s staff to request a tour. Last week, we had an amazing tour of the Capitol, guided by two college students — David from Harvard and Quinn from U.C. Berkeley. Both were locals. David graduated from Clark Magnet and Quinn from Flintridge Prep. We also met Tess, a Sacred Heart graduate from Smith College.
This got me thinking about summer internships. It’s never too soon to plan for summer 2016.
On the other hand, unless your kid is going to the Naval Academy or one of the other service academies, you’ve barely begun to shop for college. The service academies start next week, but those six sets of underwear fit into a paper bag.
In that spirit, here’s the Around Town list of cool internships for college students.
1. Congress. Congress. Congress.
Schiff offers internships in California and in D.C. Although these internships are unpaid, some students apply for grants from their colleges. The competition can be fierce. Schiff’s internships last approximately three months. See schiff.house.gov/help/internships or call Schiff’s Burbank office at (818) 450-2900 and (323) 315-5555, or the D.C. office at (202) 225-4176.
2. Fly me to the moon!
There are lots of internships in science and engineering, but one of the best local options is the 10-week JPL Summer Internship Program for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. There’s a weekly stipend, and a minimum grade point average requirement of 3.0, but 3.5 is preferred. For more information, email the JPL Education Office at internships@jpl.nasa.gov or call (818) 354-1260. More at jpl.nasa.gov/edu/intern/apply/summer-internship-program.
3. Find a cure for cancer? Heart disease? Migraines?
Let me begin with a disclaimer. My husband is on the Huntington Medical Research Institutes board. Since 2005, the Andrew Torres Golf Classic has raised substantial funds for cancer research at HMRI. A small portion went to the research by La Cañada’s own, and much-admired Michael Harrington, M.D.
HMRI has disbanded its summer internship program. Instead, HMRI will create a new program that “will emphasize students at local colleges and universities who can extend their time .past the summer into a more extensive research experience.” Keep in touch with HMRI at www.hmri.org/education/summer-student-program.
4. Donkeys and Elephants
Both the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) are looking for a few good students who want to volunteer for a semester.
Spring 2016 seems far away, but the DNC set a deadline of Oct. 4, 2015, to apply for spring semester internships. See www.democrats.org/internship-faq or contact Dana Berardi at internapp@dnc.org, call (202) 863-8000.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) has a similar program, with applications accepted on a rolling basis. They also offer the Eisenhower Intern Program, a “structured full-time” summer internship. The deadline to apply is Feb. 13, 2016. See gop.com/get-involved/jobs.
5. Power up. On the couch. No time to eat. Pop Tarts.
Fortune Magazine consistently lists West L.A. based Riot Games, developer of best-seller “League of Legends,” as one of the “100 best companies to work for.” Riot Games is looking for interns. They want “ambitious” college students who share their “passion for games (especially “League of Legends”) and are eager to get into scrapes with challenging work...” Applications are closed at the moment, but will reopen later this year. See riotgames.com/articles/ 20150314/595/riot-na-internship-program.
Maybe your kid hasn’t left for college, you haven’t even bought the extra-long bed sheets. Nonetheless, it’s never too early to plan for next summer.
--
ANITA SUSAN BRENNER is a longtime La Cañada Flintridge resident and an attorney with Law Offices of Torres and Brenner in Pasadena. Follow her on Instagram @realanitabrenner, Facebook and on Twitter @anitabrenner.