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Internships

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Academics

Internships

W&L offers abundant resources to help you identify internships across the country and around the world. Our faculty and staff are dedicated to connecting you with opportunities where you can explore your interests and gain valuable professional experience.

The university also provides generous funding that makes these experiences possible. Grants and stipends are available to support travel, living costs and other expenses associated with internships and equivalent experiences, allowing you to focus on a future that is tailored to your passions.

Internship Programs

Many of our internship programs offer funding to offset travel and living expenses.

Off Campus

Washington Term Program

The Washington Term Program takes students to Washington, D.C. for six weeks each spring. They take an academic course, gain experience working in a government office, think tank, or other organization, and participate in a lecture series with some of the most prominent people in Washington.

Off Campus

Johnson Opportunity Grant

The Johnson Opportunity Grant helps rising seniors and juniors pay the expenses connected with an internship, a student conference, independent research or any other summer project that will help them become leaders in their chosen discipline or future career.

Off Campus

Shepherd Poverty Program

The Shepherd Poverty Program funds both international and domestic summer internships. Most of the domestic internships are offered through the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, which offers over 120 placements with agencies that work to benefit impoverished members of society across the U.S.

Off Campus

London Internship Program

The London Internship Program runs for seven weeks in the summer, combining classroom study and internships with firms in and around London. Students are matched with businesses and not-for-profits based on their professional interests.

On and Off Campus

Summer Research

The Summer Research Scholars Program gives students experience with research tools, techniques, and methodology through collaborative research with faculty members during the summer. This introduction to graduate-level research activities is particularly valuable to students who intend to pursue graduate work. Rising seniors who are interested in pursuing independent research or creative projects with faculty mentorship can apply for Student Summer Independent Research (SSIR) Grants.

Stories

In this month’s episode, Loar dives into the transformative power of fellowships and student research in shaping individuals.

Veronika Kolosova ’25 has explored the liberal arts experience at W&L through campus involvement and an interdisciplinary approach to her studies.

While exploring the connections between “Station Eleven” and William Shakespeare, professor of English Holly Pickett and her crew of summer research students examined the foundational value of the humanities to society.

Marcie Bernard ’25 explored the different avenues of veterinary medicine in the Amazon Rainforest as she worked to rehabilitate and rewild animals at Hoja Nueva.

W&L students share their experiences getting to know the larger Lexington and Rockbridge community during the summer months.

Elka Prechel ’26 was inspired by a Spring Term Abroad to explore her passion for teaching in France and Italy this summer.

By enlisting guidance from the W&L science community, Emma Marvelli ’27 combined a Spring Term abroad class with summer research to better understand Virginia meta-basalts and their potential for combating climate change.

Assistant professor Michelle Cowan and students Victoria Bliley ‘26 and Zachary Puckett ’26 had their summer research cited in the July edition of spectra.

Mary Schleusner '26, Lizzie Lamb '26, Eliza Spaht '26 and Betty Boatwright '26 studied abroad together in Barcelona, Spain.

Eliza Spaht ’26 took a course on the economics of winemaking with the Council on International Educational Exchange’s Business and Culture program in Barcelona, Spain.

Through W&L’s Summer Research Scholars program, Landon Rollins ’26 and John Paul Hammond ’27 are working in Special Collections to process an alumnus’ expansive performing arts collection.

Connor Smith '26 pauses to enjoy a scenic vista

The A. Paul Knight Internship Program in Conservation, named in memory of a late Washington and Lee student, allows students to pursue their passion for environmental conservation.

George Bent sets up a scanner on the roof of a building in Florence.

Summer Research Scholars are spending their summer helping to bring one of the world’s oldest cities to life through modern technology.

Career Exploration

Students take part in programs that put their newfound skills and knowledge to work while providing practical experience that prepares them for future careers.

World Bank Treasury

Zahin Reax ’22

During my internship at the World Bank’s Treasury, I worked with the central banks of 147 nations, developing analyses of their Reserve Advisory and Management policies by valuing the individual securities. My experience in W&L’s Williams Investment Society and in optimizing portfolio returns in my Investments class helped with conducting the analysis.

Capitol Hill Intern

Taylor Garcia ’22

I interned for House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA-01) during Washington Term Program. I researched current legislation, ran errands to and from the congressman’s Capitol office and personal office, conversed with constituents, and helped office staff. I’ll cherish my experience on the Hill and memories with fellow Whipterns and Washington Term students forever — it was the opportunity of a lifetime.

University of Arizona Ornithology

Chris Tucker ’23

During my internship, funded by the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, I gained experience with the tools and methods commonly used in the field of ornithology and discovered the challenges and responsibilities that accompany independent research. My classes prepared me for the workload and I enjoyed seeing concepts that fascinated me in classes like zoology and herpetology come to life.

Public Health in the Tropics

Allie Stankewich ’23

Last summer participated in the Public Health in the Tropics Internship in Jinja, Uganda. The experience gave me a great deal of independence and the opportunity to study the well-being of people and the environment in different cultures. I have learned the value of interdisciplinary thinking and approaches to global issues through my liberal arts experience, and I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to explore my passions.