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Applications Due March 1, 2026 by 11:59 PM
Thank you for taking the time to apply to be an intern for the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center at the University of Virginia for the 2026-2027 academic year. The internship is an engaged scholarship program that links the classroom with the community through hands-on experiential education. The academic component of our program includes two mandatory courses titled Front Lines of Social Change Part I & II. Part I is a 3-credit course offered in the fall semester and Part II is a 3-credit course offered in the spring semester. Both courses are cross-listed with the College's Women Gender and Sexuality Department and the School of Education and Human Development.
The 2026-2027 academic year, the Women's Center will offer 6 different internship programs. Below you will find a brief description of each of our programs. To learn more about our individual programs please access the following link: https://womenscenter.virginia.edu/learn-serve/internship-program. If you are interested in applying to more than one of our internship programs, you must submit a separate application for each of the programs for which you would like to apply. Even though you are able to apply to more than one internship program, you will only be able to commit to one program.
IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT APPLICATION
*Time Frame: Please set aside approximately 20-25 minutes to complete the application. You can apply to up to three (3) separate programs but each requires a separate application. You can only serve on one internship per year. If selected for more than one program, you will be contacted to identify your first choice. For ease of completion, the "save and continue later" feature is available at the top right corner of the application. You will be asked to provide an email address which will forward a link for you to access your application later.
*Resume Required
Please be prepared to upload your resume. Applications without resumes will be considered incomplete.
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS*NEW* Experiential Learning Lab The Experiential Learning Lab is an innovative, cohort-based internship program housed within Engaged Scholarship. Working under the guidance of the Assistant Director of Engaged Scholarship, interns collaboratively design and implement a series of educational and engagement initiatives centered on a single theme throughout the academic year. Programming may include facilitated dialogues, multimedia content, expert panels, film viewings, and curated reading discussions. Through sustained focus on one topic, the Experiential Learning Lab promotes critical inquiry, experiential learning, meaningful community engagement, collaborative leadership, and hands-on program development. The goal is to create lasting impact within the University of Virginia and the surrounding community. Topics for each academic year are selected by the prior cohort of interns. The 2026-2027 will focus on the advanced technologies and their positive and negative effects on various communities and industries, locally, nationally and globally.
Education and Outreach -The Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center strives to create a welcoming and safe environment for all backgrounds, identities, and beliefs. The E&O intern will work closely with the Program Manager to address issues and courageous conversations about issues affecting students and the larger community. The intern will be conducting research and co-facilitating trainings and workshops with the Program Manager. This includes intentional programming, facilitation of workshops, trainings, and discussions.
Iris Magazine - As the Women's Center's student magazine, Iris has engaged, entertained, and provoked readers of all genders for over 35 years. Continuing that tradition, Iris interns write non-fiction, fiction, poetry, commentary, and more for the online publication (which also issues two print editions per academic year). Working with a student editor, student publisher, and student illustrators, Iris interns plan, produce, and publicize high-quality content, illuminating issues relevant to readers at UVA and beyond.
Legal Clinic - Interns organize free semi-monthly clinics to connect members of the Charlottesville and UVA community with local attorneys who volunteer their time to provide information on common issues such as family law, wills, etc. In addition to organizing regular semi-monthly clinics, interns can work on other projects such as compiling referral resources or organizing special topic legal clinics during the course of the year.
*NEW* Mentorship and Community Engagement (MCE) Intern - Mentorship and Community Engagement (MCE) Interns support the planning, coordination, and implementation of the program’s mentoring and college readiness initiatives. This includes providing operational and programmatic support for two core community-based leadership programs: the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) and the Men's Leadership Project (MLP). YWLP and MLP are leadership development programs that pair college student mentors with middle school youth to foster responsible, character-driven leadership among both undergraduates and participating students. In addition, MCE Interns assist with high school college-readiness programming, which helps students prepare for the academic and social expectations of college. MCE Interns are involved in a wide range of program operations, including, but not limited to, recruitment, mentor support, program development, event planning, and day-to-day logistics. Interns play a key role in coordinating program activities, managing materials and schedules, and helping ensure a positive and well-organized experience for all participants. Ideal candidates are highly organized, proactive, detail-oriented and solution focused, with an interest in community engagement, mentoring programs, and/or education access.
Please note: MCE Interns do not serve as direct mentors in our two mentoring programs.
Social Media Marketing Team - Interns on this team maintain, grow and analyze the effectiveness of the Women’s Center’s social media presence. They curate relevant content from around Grounds, the Charlottesville area, and the Web, as well as implement social media campaigns for Women’s Center events and initiatives. Summer extensions of this academic year internship are possible. Interns who bring personal connections that can help the Women’s Center reach the full breadth of schools/groups at UVA are encouraged to apply.
A NOTE ON ADVOCACY AND SELF-CARE
The work required in the Women's Center internship program can be emotionally demanding. Internship supervisors provide reminders about managing stress in a work environment, including discussion of beneficial self-care strategies and appropriate ways to integrate them with their work setting. Interns are highly encouraged to, and supported in, developing proactive strategies for identifying, addressing, and managing such stress. Women's Center offers multiple resources for supporting emotional health/ mental health, including services and events that can help foster positive self-care.