The CU Public Interest Internship Experience (PIIE) program is seeking applicants who are interested in making a positive impact in their communities this summer. CU PIIE provides paid internships ($4,680 stipends) to nonprofit and government agencies in the Denver and Boulder metro areas for full-time summer internships.
The听application deadline is 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2.听Find applications, internship descriptions, qualifications, the list of 2018 host organizations and more at the link below.
PIIE was established in 2006听to connect students interested in civic engagement with paid summer internships.听The program听was the first of its kind among public universities in the nation听and has become increasingly competitive since its first summer.
Now in its 13th year, PIIE has provided more than 100 internships in fields ranging from animal welfare to education, health, law, sustainability听and more. These enriching opportunities broaden students' professional skills while making a real impact at organizations with positive missions.
Not sure if this is for you? See what CU PIIE alumni are saying about the program.
Make a difference
In addition to the experience you get at PIIE, you鈥檒l also have the chance to create your own impact. You鈥檒l find lots of opportunities to help out the Boulder and Denver Communities with your organization in one way or another!
My internship through the local health department allowed me to explore a lot of different departments and programs, and with this broad exposure, I was able to see many different听ways that one can make a positive impact on the community. It was powerful to see the translation of a collection of individual's听work into tangible community outcomes. This really showed me that one person's work can truly make a difference and has motivated me to stay in the social service sector.鈥澨�揔atie McCune, summer 2009
Network, network, network!
Like any other internship opportunity, networking is extremely important component! However, what sets PIIE apart from the rest is the community it has developed between CU, students, and all of their partner organizations.
The contacts you make and the work you do have the ability to result in the job of your dreams.听It did for me.听Also, the non-profit community is a tight-knit one.听Good word gets around quickly, and even if your organization doesn鈥檛 have openings afterward, you鈥檒l end up with amazing references and great contacts!鈥� 鈥揂ndrea Merrill, summer 2012
Test the waters
A huge part of internships is finding out what your passion is. Use this opportunity to find out more about the goals you want to pursue.听PIIE is a great place to test out different career fields, and figure out what works and what doesn鈥檛. The only way to go from here is up!
You should define for yourself what kind of roles you enjoy and what your strengths are in order to help you not only find a 鈥榩erfect鈥� job but also to help with interviews and networking.鈥� 鈥揗indy Bridges, summer 2010
Build your r茅sum茅
Each organization is dedicated to the improvement of their interns. Not only will you polish skills you already have, but you will for sure learn something new to put on your r茅sum茅.
One of the most important aspects of my job was analyzing Google Analytics data to plan effective social media outreach. I really enjoyed the process of using insights from data to guide business strategy. In this way, PIIE gave me my first experience of working with data, which inspired me to get my master鈥檚 in business analytics at the Leeds School of Business. Now I get to work with data every day!鈥� 鈥揈mily Boyer, summer 2012
Join a growing community
PIIE has had over 100 participants since its conception in 2006. You can join a growing list of alumni that have benefited from the program. Make lasting memories, but also create new relationships that will help you on your path.
My fondest memory isn鈥檛 the work I did or the stuff I learned, but鈥攔ather鈥攖he interactions I had with everyone involved with the PIIE program. I remember the baseball games, dinners听and coffee breaks with my supervisor, the other PIIE students, the PIIE mentors听and everyone else involved in the PIIE program.鈥� 鈥揓ames Skeffington, summer 2007
