Do you want to build professional experience but are unsure where to start? Are you looking for a way to break into your dream organization or field? UChicagoGRAD’s Advance internship program supports you in creating a customized internship opportunity that will move your career forward.

Each year, the Advance program provides funding and coaching to graduate students who seek to build new skills and apply their advanced-degree training in the career path of their choice. The program has supported more than 500 internship projects around the world since its inception in 2015. We offer two Advance internship options:

• Master’s Advance. Master’s students can create an internship in academia, industry, nonprofits, or government and apply to receive one of a limited number of $6,000 stipends. The funding supports projects that are otherwise unpaid. The deadline to apply for Master’s Advance is February 28.
• PhD Advance. Students in any UChicago doctoral program can design an internship project in academia, industry, nonprofits, or government and receive a $6,000 stipend. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and students may receive funding twice during their time at UChicago.

Questions? Email Kathrin Kranz at kranz@uchicago.edu.

The Master’s Advance internship program invites UChicago master’s students to create a 300-hour summer internship with an organization of their choosing. The internship should be otherwise unfunded, and it should provide the intern with new professional skills. Master’s Advance internships are open to international students and can take place anywhere in the world. Successful applicants will receive a $6,000 stipend to support their pursuit of the opportunity.

The Master’s Advance program prioritizes applicants who design customized, project-based internships. Project-based internships are those that engage the intern in a coherent set of responsibilities that progressively build toward a specific deliverable or outcome. Internships involving unrelated, ad-hoc tasks are not considered project-based opportunities. The program also gives preferences to internship projects at organizations at which the applicant has no previous affiliation. For more details, attend the information session hosted each January.

Internship Hours and Timing

Internships must be 300 hours in duration and occur during Summer Quarter. Students and their host organizations collaborate to determine exact weekly hours and beginning and end dates for the internship.

Eligibility for Master’s Advance

The program is open to master’s students in full-time, degree-granting academic programs at the University of Chicago. Both domestic and international students are eligible. If you graduate in Spring Quarter, your internship can occur in the summer following your graduation. UChicagoGRAD internship funding is available once during your time at UChicago. Currently, master’s students in professional schools (Chicago Booth, the Crown School of Social Work, Policy and Practice, the Harris School of Public Policy, the Law School, and the Pritzker School of Medicine) are ineligible.

Non-Transferability of Funding

Master’s Advance funding is intended to support the specific internship experience described in the application materials. While students may adjust their internship projects, they may not change host organizations after submitting their applications.

Application Deadline

Applications are due at 5:00 p.m. Central Time on February 28. Students may only submit one application.

The Process

Step 1: Develop a Project with Coaching from UChicagoGRAD

Students who are interested in Master’s Advance are encouraged to set up a meeting with their UChicagoGRAD career advisor. Your advisor will help you reflect on your career goals, craft an outreach strategy, and develop a realistic project. Your advisor can also provide feedback on your application materials. If you are an international student, please familiarize yourself with the work authorization processes and connect with the Office for International Affairs if additional support is needed.

Step 2: Submit Your Application

Submit (1) an application letter, (2) a resume, and (3) your host’s confirmation of the internship to UChicagoGRAD by February 28 at 5:00 p.m. Central Time. Use the GRAD Gargoyle Job and Internship board posting (search for “77909”) to submit your application.

• A field-appropriate, one-page resume is required.
• Application Letter. Prepare a two-page, single-spaced letter addressed to UChicagoGRAD.
  • Discuss your academic work and its connection to the internship project.
  • Describe the host organization, including your supervisor’s name.
  • Explain the internship project, including your duties, timelines, and deliverables.
  • Clarify how the project will help you develop new skills and advance your career.
• Internship Confirmation. Submit an email or letter from your host that confirms your internship project. This short note should include your name, your supervisor’s name, and the internship project you would be pursuing.

Step 3: Receive a Decision

A selection committee will assess applications and select awardees. UChicagoGRAD will then notify awardees, connect with their host organizations, and contact applicants’ Deans of Students to confirm that applicants are in good academic standing. Awardees must agree to the program conditions before internship funding is confirmed.

Step 4: Complete Your Internship and Program Requirements

Awardees begin their internships after attending a UChicagoGRAD prep session. Upon completion of the internship, awardees must respond to a survey and be available to mentor the following year’s interns.

Other Funding Sources

The Master’s Advance program provides financial support for students who are participating in otherwise unpaid (or underpaid) opportunities. Applicants are encouraged to consider other potential funding sources to support an internship, including those available from the host organization. UChicagoGRAD will only award a stipend that brings the total support for this experience up to $6000. This condition does not include regular student support that you may receive unrelated to this internship. It does apply to funds supplied directly by the host or by another granting unit that are intended to support this experience. If the amount awarded from another source is less than $6000, UChicagoGRAD will award a stipend for the difference between these awards.

The PhD Advance internship program invites UChicago PhD students to create a 300-hour internship with an organization of their choosing. The internship should be otherwise unfunded, and it should provide the intern with new professional skills. PhD Advance internships are open to international students and can take place anywhere in the world. Successful applicants will receive a $6,000 stipend to support their pursuit of the opportunity.

The PhD Advance program prioritizes applicants who design customized, project-based internships. Project-based internships are those that engage the intern in a coherent set of responsibilities that progressively build toward a specific deliverable or outcome. Internships involving unrelated, ad-hoc tasks are not considered project-based opportunities. The program also gives preference to internship projects at organizations at which the applicant has no previous affiliation. For more details, attend the information session hosted each January.

Internship Hours and Timing

Internships must be 300 hours in duration. Students and their host organizations collaborate to determine exact weekly hours and beginning and end dates for the internship. Internships can take place at any time of the year.

UChicago PhD students can receive UChicagoGRAD internship funding twice during their time at UChicago. We do not recommend the pursuit of internships in the first two years of a doctoral program. Applicants should work with their UChicagoGRAD career advisor and academic department to determine the optimal timing for an internship given degree requirements and the applicant’s career goals. Internships that occur during or immediately following a student’s departure from UChicago are likely the most optimal, as they send an important signal to potential employers about an applicant’s professional trajectory.

Eligibility for PhD Advance

The program is open to doctoral students in full-time, degree-granting academic programs at the University of Chicago. Both domestic and international students are eligible. Participation may require approval from an applicant’s Dean of Students. Internship funding is available to those who decide not to continue in their program. Internships can occur in the quarter after the student leaves UChicago. In this case, UChicagoGRAD must receive the internship application eight weeks prior to the student’s departure.

Non-Transferability of Funding

PhD Advance funding is intended to support the specific internship experience described in the application materials. While students may adjust their internship projects, they may not change host organizations after submitting their applications.

Application Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. PhD students can apply for internship funding from UChicagoGRAD twice during their time at UChicago. If the student intends to leave UChicago, their application must be received eight weeks before the student’s departure.

The Process

Step 1: Develop a Project with Coaching from UChicagoGRAD

Students who are interested in PhD Advance should set up a meeting with their UChicagoGRAD career advisor. Your advisor will help you reflect on your career goals, craft an outreach strategy, and develop a realistic project. Your advisor can also provide feedback on your application materials. If you are an international student, please familiarize yourself with the work authorization processes and connect with the Office for International Affairs if additional support is needed.

Step 2: Submit Your Application

To submit your application, complete the Pathways PhD Advance module on GRAD Gargoyle. You will be prompted to submit your resume or CV, application letter, and internship confirmation.

• Resume or CV. A field-appropriate, one-page resume or a CV is required.
• Application Letter. Prepare a two-page, single-spaced letter addressed to UChicagoGRAD.
  • Discuss your academic work and its connection to the internship project.
  • Describe the host organization, including your supervisor’s name.
  • Explain the internship project, including your duties, timelines, and deliverables.
  • Clarify how the project will help you develop new skills and advance your career.
• Internship Confirmation. Submit an email or letter from your host that confirms your internship project. This short note should include your name, your supervisor’s name, and the internship project you would be pursuing.

Step 3: Receive a Decision

A selection committee will assess applications and select awardees. UChicagoGRAD will then notify awardees, connect with their host organizations, and contact applicants’ academic advisors and Deans of Students. Awardees must agree to the program conditions before internship funding is confirmed.

Step 4: Complete Your Internship and Program Requirements

Awardees begin their internships after attending a UChicagoGRAD prep session. Upon completion of the internship, awardees must respond to a survey and be available to mentor the following year’s interns.

OTHER FUNDING SOURCES

The PhD Advance program provides some financial support for students who are participating in otherwise unpaid (or underpaid) opportunities. While you are encouraged to consider other potential funding sources to support your internship, UChicagoGRAD will only award a stipend that brings the total support for this experience up to $6000. This condition does not include regular student support that you may receive unrelated to this internship. It does apply to funds supplied directly by the host or by another granting unit, intended to support this experience. If the amount awarded from another source is less than $6000, UChicagoGRAD will award a stipend amount for the difference between these awards.

Past Advance Winners

2021-22 COHORT

	STUDENT	HOST
	SOFIA BARNETT MAT Student, Urban Teacher Education Program	Court Appointed Special Advocates of Cook County, Chicago, IL Acted as educational consultant for remote learning support and engaged directly with children served by CASA
	ROWAN BAYNE PhD, English	Office of Experiential and Applied Learning, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA Conducted research aimed at assessing service-learning program and wrote funding proposals for training programs for incarcerated people
	MARTIN BECK MA Student, Social Work	The Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund, Chicago, IL Partnered with City government to improve efficiency and effectiveness of services for vulnerable populations
	ADONIA BEKELE MPP Student, Public Policy	Agricultural Transformation Agency, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Analyzed irrigation practices in a farming region in service of proposing policy changes and agricultural transformation
	GEORGE BI MS Student, Analytics	Red Fuji Furniture Co., Ltd, Yantai, Shandong, China Built a customer database to aid future business development, built a facial recognition tool, and generated business intelligence reports
	RACHEL CARBONARA PhD Student, Divinity School	Illuminations, Cambridge, MA Produced four podcast episodes, contributing and developing ideas and conducting interviews, writing scripts, and editing audio
	JAMIE COUNTRYMAN PhD Student, Anthropology	USDA Forest Service, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Wilmington, IL Integrated archaeological knowledge and historical ecology of the site into efforts to restore the area and make it more accessible to visitors
	GRACE DEHORN MA Student, Social Work	Center for the Study of Social Policy, Washington, DC Developed a child allowance research project in collaboration with local organizations
	GABRIELLE DOHMEN JD Student, Law School	ACLU of Kansas, Kansas City, KS Conducted research for litigation involving the Wichita Police Department
	GABRIELA ESPINOSA MA Student, Divinity School	The Rubin Museum, New York, NY Developed publication, exhibition, and digital resource material for Project Himalayan Art seeking to advance public understanding of the Himalayan region and its art
	SOPHIA ETLING MA Student, Social Work	The University of Chicago Doula Project, Chicago, IL Provided new qualitative analyses of interview transcripts to be used to enhance community-based doula services in Chicago
	BASTIAN HERRE PhD Student, Political Science	Our World in Data at the Global Change Data Lab, Oxford, United Kingdom Conducted research, wrote reports, and visualized data on the historical development of democracy and conflict
	SHRADHA JAIN MDiv Student, Divinity School	One Project, San Francisco, CA Helped fundraising team identify and prioritize potential grant funding opportunities
	WALAA JUMMA MA Student, Social Work	GirlForward, Chicago, IL Planned and facilitated events, programs, and workshops supporting female-identifying high school students who have come to the United States through refugee resettlement
	PARITOSH KANORIA MDiv Student, Divinity School	Krea University, Sricity, Telangana, India Collected data to help faculty and administrative staff understand and improve students' experiences around their aspirations, academics, and daily lives
	TOPHER KINDRELL PhD, History	The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Chicago, IL Created written content and provided analysis on COVID-19 vaccine rollout, vaccine equity, impacts of public health measures, and cities' responses to public health crises
	EMMA KITCHEN PhD Student, History	Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL Conducted research and interviews to explore the relationship between exhibition development and scientific stufy
	NORA LAMBERT PhD Student, Art History	Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL Cataloged objects in the Italian Renaissance and Spanish ceramics and glass collections with bibliographic information and wrote interpretive texts for online publication
	DANA MAIER-ZUCCHINO MA Student, Social Sciences	ThinkLive!, Inc., Atlanta, GA Coded student handbooks and field notes from previous cohorts to help improve and further develop youth programming
	AMY MCLACHLAN PhD, Anthropology	Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL Interviewed members of Indigenous Amazonian communities impacted by COVID-19 and contributed to multi-media archive around the ongoing pandemic
	DAVE MEI MA Student, Divinity School	International Holographic Ecology, Boston, MA Edited and translated part of a book that will promote interfaith dialogue in spiritual education
	SELINE MESSMER MA Student, Social Sciences	SPARK for German, Chicago, IL Devised lesson plans around German language and culture intended for K-12 students in collaboration with the Chicago Public Library
	PRIYANJALI MITRA PhD Student, Sociology	Self Employed Women's Association Bharat, New Delhi, India Conducted research and interviews with stakeholders, then analyzed data and prepared a report on the impact of and challenges in community centers
	SIYANDA MOHUTSIWA PhD Student, Sociology	Irrational Agency, London, United Kingdom Provided research and data analysis to drive the production of digital consumer behavior tools
	DYLAN PETIPRIN MA Student, Social Sciences	The To&Through Project, Chicago, IL Analyzed data around issues of college equity among Chicago Public School high school students and prepared a report that examins post-secondary outcomes for stakeholders
	GREY PIERCE PhD Student, Sociology	Center on Halsted, Chicago, IL Created an end-of-life fair for LGBTQ seniors to help them access legal, housing, and other resources
	JORDAN PRUETT PhD Student, English	Post45 Data Collective, Atlanta, GA Assisted researchers in the preparation of datasets for publication over five open-access quantiative and computational humanities projects
	IBRAHIM RASHID MPP Student, Public Policy	Refugee Investment Network, Washington, DC Performed research and analysis to help with the proposal of a fund and acquisition of a property for future refugee center and affordable housing
	HANNA SHARIF-KAZEMI MA Student, Social Work	The Safer Foundation, Women's Justice Institute, Chicago, IL Built and pitched policy and infrustruture to support developmental projects, developed partnership with local government to expand and sustain community treatment services
	LUIZA SILVA PhD Student, Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations	The British Museum, London, United Kingdom Created a system to make object drawings easy to store and track digitally
	OLIVIA SPENCE MA Student, Social Work	Heartland Alliance, Chicago, IL Conducted client intake and research about medicaton-assisted treatment programs
	MOOD SUDCHAROEN PhD, Anthropology	UChicagoGRAD, Chicago, IL Conducted research into the challenges faced by international graduate students and postdocs; recommended strategies and created programming based on findings
	CARLY UEBEL MA Student, Social Work	UChicago Medicine Violence Recovery Program, Chicago, IL Faciliated trainings on trauma-informed interventions with survivors of sexual violence and legal, medical, and ongoing support options available to them
	DANIEL WITKIN MA Student, Humanities	Kartemquin Films, Chicago, IL Coded raw footage for an upcoming film and conducted research for the transfer of archive to Washington University
	PHILANA WOO MA Student, Social Sciences	Asian American Psychology Association, San Diego, CA Produced and promoted 6 episodes of a new podcast, setting up speakers, contributing research and scriptwriting, and writing companion shownotes for each
	TOBY WU MA Student, Humanities	Smart Museum of Art, Chicago, IL Identified works relevant to an upcoming exhibition on Transpacific art
	MICHAL ZECHARIA PhD Student, English	Locus, Tel Aviv, Israel Researched possibilities for pursuing foreign publications rights for Israeli authors and built database of potential buyers
	WILLIAM ZHU MA Student, Computational Social Sciences	RealEats, Geneva, NY Generated analyses to understand customer retention and identify characteristics of most engaged customers

2020-21 Cohort

	STUDENT	HOST
	JOSHUA BABCOCK PhD Student, Anthropology	Michicagoan Conference, Chicago, IL Developed a strategic plan and new organizational model for an anthropology conference
	ROWAN BAYNE PhD Student, English	Calgary Queer Arts Society, Alberta, Canada Expanded and reimagined programming around the Calgary Pride festival
	BOWEN BAO MS Student, Computer Science	HeartBioPortal, Chicago, IL Developed a web application to support doctors and biomedical researchers in searching for guidelines and data supplements used in diagnosing cardiovascular disease
	XHESIKA BARDHI MA Student, Middle Eastern Studies	Hyde Park Refugee Project, Chicago, IL Lead a college-readiness program, promoted language-acquisition, and engaged in development work at a local refugee resettlement organization
	ALYSIA MANN CAREY PhD Student, Political Science	Cite Black Women, Chicago, IL Used organizational, research, and archival skills to support a campaign to push people to engage in a radical praxis of citation that acknowledges and honors Black women’s transnational intellectual production
	SONJA CASTANEDA PhD Student, Political Science	Center for Alaska Education Policy Research, Anchorage, AK Conducted a research project on the role of state-tribal compacting in K-12 education
	ABHIMANYU CHANDRA PhD Student, South Asian Languages and Civilizations	The Caravan, New Delhi, India Published interview and narrative pieces on Hindu nationalism for The Caravan, a leading Indian magazine
	MADISON CHAPMAN PhD Student, English	Asolo Repertory Theater, Sarasota, FL Supported fundraising, development, adult and K-12 education, and script assessment activities at the largest repertory theatre in the Southeast
	TIM DEMAY PhD Student, English	Double Change, Paris, France Provided financial, administrative, and research support for a poetry and translation non-profit
	LIVIA DEWAELE MA Student, International Relations	Institute for Strategic Dialogue, London, England Collabored on ISD's European Polarization Index Project, which aims to create a standardized way of measuring polarization
	OMER EREN PhD Student, Linguistics	Laz Institute, Istanbul, Turkey Contributed to the maintenance of the endangered Laz language by creating an advanced course book
	SUAY SEYMA ERKUSOZ PhD Student, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations	The Oriental Institute, Chicago, IL Enhanced the informative and visual aspects of the OI's Syro-Anatolian exhibitions
	ANEESAH ETTRESS MDiv Student, Divinity School	Los Angeles Education Partnership, Los Angeles, CA Conducted fund development work, including soliciting corporate sponsorships and hosting small-scale fundraising events, for a nonprofit that advances educational equity
	NATALIE FARRELL PhD Student, Music	Chicago Federation of Musicians, Chicago, IL Organized a series of concerts for a musicians' union to promote social justice amid the COVID-19 pandemic
	MARISSA FENLEY PhD Student, English and Theater and Performance Studies	Theater Director and Designer Tom Lee, New York, New York and Tokyo, Japan Provided dramaturgical support for The Akutagawa Project, developed in collaboration with puppeteer Koryu Nishigawa V
	MOLLY GIBSON MA Student, Social Service Administration	EverThrive Illinois, Chicago, IL Supported the planning stages of an evaluation project at a nonprofit by helping to create infrastructure to guide the initiative
	AIMEE GONZALEZ PhD Student, Music	Gabinete Patrimonio Musical Esteban Salas, Havana, Cuba Prepared a critical edition of early music and helped plan an international classical music festival
	CHRISTOPHER GRANT PhD Student, Anthropology	University of New Orleans Archaeological Research and Curation Center, New Orleans, LA Developed a conservation program, including an electrolysis apparatus that could be used by students and scholars, at an emerging cultural institution
	EMRE HAKGUDER PhD Student, Linguistics	Chicago Project on Security and Threats, Chicago, IL Conducted analysis to predict the behavior of terrorist organizations through a combination of Turkish language skills, natural language processing, data mining and analysis, and statistical inference
	JOHN-PAUL HEIL PhD Student, History	Good Soil Farm, Emmitsburg, MD Created K-12 educational programming and an undergraduate agricultural history curriculum for an agriculture curriculum for a sustainable educational farm
	RACHEL HOWARD PhD Student, Anthropology	Temple Beth Shalom, Phoenix, AZ Researched the past performance of faith organizations in the Phoenix area to identify ways to support current and future grant-making and collaboration at a synagogue
	CAMERON HU PhD Student, Anthropology	Institute for Advanced Sustainability, Potsdam, Germany Conducted a policy-oriented research project that examined how emerging climate engineering technologies and Earth-scientific concepts are currently reshaping national- and international-level projects of environmental governance
	ZOE HUGHES PhD Student, English	Everspring, Chicago, IL Consulted with faculty members to design courses and drafted papers and decks on remote pedagogical practices at an educational technology company
	LELAND JASPERSE PhD Student, English	City of Santa Monica, Community and Cultural Services Division, Santa Monica, CA Provided research support to an innovative community behavioral health initiative to address failings in Santa Monica's existing mental health and homelessness services
	MATT JOHNSON PhD, Germanic Studies	Jüdisches Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria Engaged in exhibition planning and research at a Jewish museum
	FRANCESCA LAMBERT PhD Student, Cinema and Media Studies	Texas Archive of the Moving Image, Austin, TX Created a Google Arts & Culture exhibit for a nonprofit film archive
	HELEN LEE PhD Student, Comparative Human Development	Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, Chicago, IL Lead the development of a culturally responsive curriculum for facilitating conversations about racial equity with first-generation Chinese Americans
	KEVIN MAGNAYE PhD Student, Human Genetics	Pasteur Institute, Paris, France Interrogated the role of RNA editing and human immune responses in EVOIMMUNOPOP, an experimental and computational effort to understand immune response variation in human populations
	KATHRYN MCGEE MA Student, Social Service Administration	Modern Reliance, Chicago, IL Conducted research to inform the kinds of support and services that Modern Reliance and its student workforce provide to older adults and their families
	ALMAZ MESGHINA PhD Student, Comparative Human Development	Academic Support and Learning Advancement, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL Revitalized the curriculum for a seven-week, peer-led course for first-year and/or at-risk university students, helping them acquire the skills and resources necessary for academic success and wellness
	WILLIAM OCKENDON PhD Student, Anthropology	The Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects, Jackson, MS Created a report card for the impact of legislation on Black girls and women in five states in the Southeast region for a nonprofit organization
	SARAH OUTLAND PhD Student, Sociology	Girls Who Code, Chicago, IL Developed and assessed a marketing campaign for Computer Science Education Week to change sentiments around women as tech workers
	ADAM PERI PhD Student, Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science	Franke Institute for the Humanities, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL Oversaw digital initiatives--including online conferences, luncheons, meetings, and outreach--at a humanities research institute
	ERIC POWELL PhD Student, English	Verge Books, Chicago, IL Conducted editorial, marketing, and publicity work at an independent publisher of poetry and translation
	SOPHIA RHEE PhD Student, Anthropology	Center for Asian American Media, San Francisco, CA Center for Asian American Media, San Francisco, CA Developed programming and communications for a twice-annual film festival showcasing new films by Asian American filmmakers working on topics relevant to the Asian Diaspora
	JULIA ROSSI PhD Student, English	The Odyssey Project, Chicago, IL Tutored students and planned, designed, and edited a student publication at an organization committed to expanding access to humanities education
	SHARVARI SASTRY PhD Student, South Asian Languages and Civilizations and Theater and Performance Studies	The Spaces Project, India Supported a creative and contextual documentation of the alternative and experimental spaces for the arts (particularly theatre), that have been emerging in India
	AMY SKJERSETH PhD Student, Cinema and Media Studies	Sound Arts and Industries MA Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL Provided career mentoring, technical skill building, and co-curricular programming for MA students studying sound design
	ZOË SMITH PhD Student, English	Abrams ComicArts, New York, NY Served as an assistant editor for two forthcoming graphic novels at the publisher's Megascope imprint
	WINNIE TONG PhD Student, Sociology	United Nations Development Programme, New York, NY Contributed to several core projects, including facilitating meetings of member states and conducting research for the Human Development Report 2020
	ERIC TRIANTAFILLOU PhD Student, Anthropology	Center for Cultural Innovation, Los Angeles, CA Produced a publicly accessible report on non-accredited, self-organized, participatory, and equitable “art schools” in the US for a leading arts incubator
	EMILY VERBURG MA Student, Social Service Administration	Collective Action for Safe Spaces, Washington, DC Created an online resource hub, facilitated bystander intervention trainings, and conducted policy research at a nonprofit working to end gender-based harassment and assault
	JESSICA VILLASEÑOR PhD Student, Sociology	Amnistía Internacional México, Mexico Assisted in the completion of the Feminicides in Mexico project, an in-depth investigation of feminicides in Ecatepec, Mexico
	ALEXANDREA WILSON MA Student, Social Service Administration	Chicago Food Policy Action Council, Chicago, IL Engaged in outreach and developed an internship program that expanded capacity and created career entry points for those interested in food justice
	WARREN PAUL WILSON PhD Student, Philosophy	Justice is Global, Chicago, IL Recruited and managed a volunteer research team and produced a coalition analysis for a grassroots organization working towards an equitable and sustainable global economy

2019-20 Cohort

	STUDENT	HOST
	JOSHUA BABCOCK PhD Student, Anthropology	soft/WALL/studs, Singapore Implemented an integrated marketing, media relations, and social media strategic plan for an arts organization
	SEAN BATTON PhD Student, Cinema and Media Studies	Chicago Film Archives, Chicago, IL Inspected, catalogued, and researched a collection at a non-profit film archive
	NILANJANA BHATTACHARYA MA Student, Public Policy	Slum Dwellers International, Capetown, South Africa Drafted monitoring, evaluation, and risk assessment plans for a transnational social movement of urban poor communities
	ROLAND BLACK PhD Student, History	Antiracist Research and Policy Center, Washington, D.C. Conducted research on the negative health and policy outcomes of whiteness at a public-facing research center
	ANDREA BONACCORSI MA Student, Humanities	Ford Heights Community Service Organization, Ford Heights, IL Created a youth-driven agricultural education program that addressed food insecurity in the Village of Ford Heights
	CLAIRE BOWMAN PhD Student, Anthropology	Charlevoix Village Association, Charlevoix, MI Researched, produced, and printed a neighborhood-level history booklet for free distribution to community members
	TRACY BRANNSTROM PhD Student, Comparative Human Development	Counterpoint Newspaper/Vermont Psychiatric Survivors, Rutland, VT Researched and wrote news articles for a quarterly mental health-focused newspaper
	MARGARET BROWER PhD Student, Political Science	Institute for Democracy and Higher Education, Medford, MA Developed new curricula and pedagogical approaches for political learning at a research institute
	COSETTE BRUHNS PhD Student, Romance Languages and Literatures	Visual Resources Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL Developed a digital humanities project, teaching guides, and resource guides with a focus on access and sustainability
	LAUREL CHEN MA Student, Social Service Administration	East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative, Oakland, CA Developed press materials and improved organizational management at a community housing cooperative
	CARLOS CISNEROS PhD Student, Linguistics	Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indigena Oaxaqueño, Fresno, CA Documented and advised advised the development of instruction methods and materials for an introductory minority language course for primary school students
	AMY COOMBS PhD Student, History	History of Science Museum, University of Oxford, Oxford, England Participated in collections research, condition evaluation, and content planning for an exhibit on botanizing and microscopy at a history of science museum
	BASTIEN CRAIPAIN PhD Student, Romance Languages and Literatures	Digital Library of the Caribbean at FIU, Miami, FL Processed, catalogued, preserved, digitized, and promoted Caribbean collections and edited and translated newsletter at a digital research library
	MICHAEL FISCHER MA Student, Humanities	Storycatchers Theatre, Chicago, IL Supported Changing Voices, an arts employment program for justice-involved youth at a local theater
	YAEL FLUSSER PhD Student, Comparative Literature	Zoomin Software, Tel-Aviv, Israel Tackled product challenges at a startup company focused on making tech content more accessible to non-experts with the help of artificial intelligence
	ARIANNA GASS PhD Student, English and Theater and Performance Studies	Headlong Dance Theatre, Philadelphia, PA Served as an archivist for a theater company, conducted oral histories with current and former directors and collaborators, and curated an event based on archival finds
	TALIA GORDON PhD Student, Comparative Human Development	Neighborhood Engagement Hub, Flint, MI Helped design, manage, and carry out a neighborhood group mapping and resource directory development project for a community-based nonprofit agency
	MARCOS GOUVEA PhD Student, Classics	Mars Hill Audio, Charlottesville, VA Produced a template for an updated catalogue and adapted content for a weekly app at a small nonprofit
	PIA HECHER MA Student, Middle Eastern Studies	European Stability Initiative, Brussels, Belgium Researched and wrote reports, collected quantitative data, and produced data visualizations focusing on refugees and migration at a think tank
	DAVID HOGUE PhD Student, East Asian Languages and Civilizations	Bamboo and Silk, Wuhan, China Translated academic articles and provided support for staff at a peer-reviewed academic journal
	CAMERON HU PhD Student, Anthropology	Ditch Projects, Springfield, OR Edited a volume of essays that accompanied an exhibition at nonprofit contemporary arts organization
	KEVIN IRAKOZE PhD Student, Philosophy	Burundi Memory Project, Burundi Gathered data, coordinated field researchers, and drafted reports on the historical memory of Burundian youth regarding the history of ethnic conflict in the country
	KATERINA KOROLA PhD Student, Art History	Art Institute of Chicago Photography Division, Chicago, IL Served as curatorial assistant for an upcoming rotation of the permanent collection and researched, interpreted, and catalogued a nineteenth-century photo-collage album
	EDUARDO LEAO PhD Student, Romance Languages and Literatures	Restless Books, New York City, NY Created content, monitored social media platforms, developed marking plans, critiqued submissions, and identified potential grants for a small publisher
	LAUREN LEDIN PhD Student, Anthropology	Field Museum, Chicago, IL Documented North American human remains and helped improve the approach that museums take in the respectful curation of human remains
	PATRICK LEWIS PhD Student, Anthropology	Mesopotamia Foundation, Turkey Translated text and compiled a feasibility report for a Kurdish-language education course
	TESSA DI MANTOVA	World Relief Change, Chicago, IL Identified grant opportunities and performed community outreach at a relief agency
	FIONA MAXWELL PhD Student, History	Center for Women's History and Leadership, Evanston, IL Brought the history of nineteenth-century parlor performance and women’s public speaking to public audiences by leading museum tours, created educational programming and special events, wrote blogposts, and created plans for a digital exhibit
	SARAH MCDANIEL PhD Student, English	Modern Philology, Chicago, IL Developed and publicized an archive of critical work in the back catalogue of a leading academic journal
	JENNIFER MONDAL PhD Student, English	Critical Inquiry, Chicago, IL Copyedited two issues, fact-checked footnotes, and proofread and formatted posts for the blog of an academic journal
	ERIN NEWTON PhD Student, History	International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago, IL Catalogued texts into an accessible and searchable catalogue, contributed to a blog, and assisted with regular conservation workshops at a history of science museum
	VICTORIA NGUYEN PhD Student in Anthropology	Materials and Applications, Los Angeles, CA Managed donor relations and served as a program associate at a creative cultural center
	NIDA PARACHA PhD Student, Anthropology	Balance Lab, Chicago, IL Served at an alternate healing practice helping victims of trauma
	KARA PERUCCIO PhD Student, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations	UChicagoGRAD, Chicago, IL Relaunched externship program to connect students and employers
	NORY PETERS PhD Student, Comparative Literature	MAKE Literary Magazine, Chicago, IL Planned, moderated, and produced a podcast on forced migration for a literary magazine.
	MEDARDO ROSARIO PhD Student, Romance Languages and Literatures	Newberry Library, Chicago, IL Surveyed the Caribbean geographical collections at an independent research library to create a research guide meant to support future researchers
	TYLER SCHROEDER PhD Student, Cinema and Media Studies	UChicago Special Collections, Chicago, IL Described and classified Special Collections’ holdings of the photographs and personal ephemera, largely uncatalogued, of the street photographer Vivian Maier
	RENUKA SHAH MA Student, Threat and Response Management	Will County Emergency Management Agency, Chicago, IL Developed a new premise alert program, updated an operations plan, and tested programs at an emergency management agency
	ZHENZHOU TAN MA Student, Humanities	UChicago Press International Rights Department, Chicago, IL Translated marketing materials from English to Chinese, explored an academic press’s backlist for translation licensing, and prepared accordingly special subject catalogs
	NIU NIU TEO PhD Student, History	US History Scene, Remote Developed a podcast that interviews professors about the process of writing of their first book
	MARCO TORRES PhD Student, History	Northeastern Illinois University Library, Chicago, IL Contributed to a Latin American historiography bibliographic project and planned a public discussion series on contemporary social and political issues at a college library
	ASHLEY TRUEHART PhD Student, Cinema and Media Studies	South Side Home Movie Project, Chicago, IL Led community cataloguing events to gather descriptive information about the home movies preserved and stored on the SSHMP website; developed a film festival and outdoor screenings
	BRANDON TRUETT PhD Student, English	Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA Produced object white papers about two paintings by the Spanish artist Joan Miró for curatorial files and a museum website
	SILA ULUG PhD Student, Art History	Performa, New York City, NY Performed curatorial, production, and public engagement work at a non-profit visual arts organization
	CAROLINE ZADINA MA Student, Social Service Administration	FutureCourse Education, Chicago, IL Lead the creation of a research-informed curriculum for high school and college team captains that educates how to recognize and respond to the mental health pressures, environmental pressures, and interpersonal challenges present in sport contexts

2018-19 Cohort

2017-18 Cohort

2016-17 Cohort

2015-16 Cohort

Danette Gentile Kauffman Internship

The Kauffman award is presented to outstanding winners from the Humanities Division. The award is made possible by a generous donation from alumna Danette Gentile Kauffman (M.A. Humanities 1969). The award does not require a specialized application process; all applicants from the Humanities Division are automatically be considered for this prize.

2020 Winner: Julia Rossi, Ph.D. student in English Language and Literature

With the support of Danette Gentile Kauffman, I will be completing an internship this year with The Odyssey Project – a free, college-credit earning humanities course for income-eligible adults with limited or no access to higher education.  Due to the ongoing public health crisis, The Odyssey Project’s programming will take place online for most (if not all) of this year.  My internship will be geared toward encouraging a sense of intellectual community for students and alumni during this difficult and isolating time.  I will be responsible for planning, designing, and editing a publication to mark the 20th anniversary of The Odyssey Project, which will feature stories, poems, and essays written by current students and alumni.  I am also excited to work directly with students as a tutor, helping them to improve their academic writing and to formulate their papers.

2019 Winner: David Hogue, Ph.D. student in East Asian Languages and Civilizations

With the support of Danette Gentile Kauffman, I interned at the Wuhan University Center of Bamboo and Silk Manuscripts, which operates an English-language academic journal that publishes leading research in the field of early Chinese excavated texts. In my internship, I have served as an academic linguist and editorial services support staff member, translating Chinese-language articles into English for publication in the Center’s peer-reviewed journal, “Bamboo and Silk.”

2018 Winner: Simone Levine, M.A. student in Humanities

“With the support of Danette Gentile Kauffman, my GGI internship provided me with the opportunity to be involved in an exhibition catalog published by the Smart Museum of Art.  The catalog was published for the occasion of the exhibition The Allure of Matter: Material Art from China, curated by Professor Wu Hung with Orianna Cacchione. I wrote three artist profiles for the publication, for was credited as a contributor.  My GGI Internship marked the first time I have undertaken comprehensive research and historical writing on contemporary Chinese art outside of my studies.  Most importantly, the internship enabled me to begin making scholarly contributions in the art world, the field in which I plan to invest myself professionally.”

2018 Winner: Charlotte Saul, Ph.D. student in English Language and Literature

“With the support of Danette Gentile Kauffman, I completed a research-based curatorial internship at Chatsworth House, engaging specifically with the Devonshire Collection and its group of rare 17th-century court masque designs. Only half of the drawings’ catalog entries had been recently revised, so my task was to update the catalog entries for the remaining drawings, writing physical descriptions and critical narratives for each object. This internship gave me the opportunity to learn how to best work with a collections management system used by many institutions, and a chance to work directly with unique archival materials; as a student of literary and visual culture, this was a particularly meaningful experience.”

Phillip N. Norton GGI Internship

The Norton award is presented to an outstanding winner from the Physical Sciences Division. The award is made possible by a generous donation from alumnus Phillip N. Norton (Ph.D. Statistics 1988). The award does not require a specialized application process; all applicants from PSD are automatically be considered for this prize.

2021 Winner: George Bi, M.S. Student in Analytics

“Through the generous support of the Phillip N. Norton GGI internship, I spent my summer internship in China with Red Fuji, a company focusing on environmental-friendly raw materials house decoration, as a data scientist. Throughout the internship, I utilized my data science mindset to solve traditional business problem in the house decoration industry. By the end of the internship, I built a database for the company, a business visualization report for management board and an algorithm that clustered housing characteristics. I really appreciate this internship opportunity which helped me apply theoretical knowledge into practice and have a better understanding on how to be a better data scientist and which area I should focus more on.”

2020 Winner: Bowen Bao, M.S. Student in Computer Science

“With the support of the Phillip N. Norton GGI Internship, I spent my summer in the Department of Medicine in the Section of Computational Biomedicine and Biomedical Data Science. I helped develop Heart Clinical Guidelines, a web application meant to support doctors and biomedical researchers to search for guidelines and data supplements used in diagnosing cardiovascular disease, currently a manual process in the healthcare industry. I parsed PDF charts from XML to JSON and worked on a Node.js web application to make the guidelines searchable. The internship gave me a chance to dig deeper into algorithmic thinking and allowed me to learn new tools to do web development.”

2019 Winner: Matthew Shin, M.S. student in Computational and Applied Mathematics

“With the support of the Phillip N. Norton GGI Internship, I spent the summer abroad in England studying under Dr. Ruth Baker of the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford. The research group at the Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology probes modern problems in biology using techniques from applied mathematics. In particular, I considered methods from stochastic processes and statistical mechanics to model cell dynamics (such as stem cell migration) with simulations and PDEs. This opportunity provided me a unique and didactic introduction to the world of academic research, tailored to my particular interest in quantitative biological models. I come away from the experience with a greater understanding of the tools required and eagerness to tackle large scientific questions through mathematics.”

2018 Winner: Erin Lipman, M.S. student in Statistics

“Through the generous support of the Phillip N. Norton GGI internship, I spent my summer interning with Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) in San Francisco, CA. HRDAG is a non-profit organization that uses rigorous and objective statistical science to to investigate human rights abuses worldwide. At HRDAG I worked on issues of racial bias in the criminal justice system, in particular concerning the use of automated risk assessment systems for pretrial detention decisions. The experience was invaluable in building my data science skills and giving me a clear picture of my career path forward as a statistician concerned with issue of human rights and fairness.” 

Credential in Higher Education Administration

Are you interested in a career in higher education administration? UChicagoGRAD’s Credential in Higher Education Administration (HEA) is a co-curricular professional development program that enables UChicago graduate students and postdocs to explore administrative careers and gain meaningful experiences that will help prepare them for work in colleges and universities. The Credential in HEA is self-paced. You can track your progress through a Canvas course, and you will receive a digital badge that can be displayed on LinkedIn upon completion.

What You’ll Do

The Credential in HEA has three components:

• Building Knowledge. You will learn about the higher education administration landscape (including the wide range of career possibilities); how a university is organized and functions; and the economic, social, and political forces shaping higher education.
• Building Skills. You will build transferrable administrative skills in areas of your choosing, such as proficiency with commonly used software, strategies for office communication, or best practices for creating effective programs.
• Building Experience. You will put your skills into practice with a hands-on, real-world project.

For more details on the requirements, including the various forms that “Building Experience” projects can take, please see the “Requirements” section below.

What You’ll Gain

The Credential in HEA offers UChicago graduate students and postdocs the following benefits:

• Opportunities to explore career paths in higher education administration that draw on your interests and graduate-level skillset
• Connections and networking opportunities in the field
• Skills and experiences that are attractive to employers
• A better understanding of how the university functions
• A chance to shape programming and policy
• A digital badge to recognize your achievement and verify your completion of the training required by the Credential

Get Started Today

The Credential in HEA is open to all current, full-time UChicago graduate students and postdocs. Students and postdocs who wish to earn the Credential need to be invited to join the associated Canvas course. To request an invitation, please email Kathrin Kranz.

Requirements

The Credential in HEA requires you to complete the 3 modules listed below. For a printer-friendly version of these requirements, please click here.

BUILDING KNOWLEDGE MODULE (CHOOSE 4):

• Attend “Introduction to Careers in Higher Education Administration: History, Context, Futures.”
• Attend the “Careers in Higher Education Administration: Perspectives from Alumni” panel.
• Create an annotated bibliography of 20 items focused on a particular issue in higher education administration.
• Conduct an informational interview with a professional working in higher education. You may conduct up to 2 informational interviews and count them individually toward the Building Knowledge requirement.

BUILDING SKILLS MODULE (CHOOSE 4):

• Attend the “Principles of Effective Program Design” workshop.
• Attend the “Conquering Email: Effective Office Communication” workshop.
• Attend a UChicago Inclusion Workshop, such as “Hearing One Another.”
• Attend Mental Health First Aid Training, offered by UChicago Student Wellness. Register here.
• Complete one of the following LinkedIn Learning courses. Note: only one course can count toward the requirements for this module. You may also choose another LinkedIn Learning course that better meets your needs. Please email Kathrin Kranz to request a substitution.
  • Excel Data Visualization (Mastering 20+ Charts and Graphs and Designing Custom Visualizations)
  • Excel PivotTables: Mastering PivotTables and PivotCharts
  • PowerPoint Essential Training
  • Database Foundations: Core Concepts
  • Learning Design Research
  • Project Management Foundations
  • Business Writing Principles
  • Organization Communication

BUILDING EXPERIENCE MODULE (COMPLETE 1):

Fulfillment of this module requires undertaking a hands-on project that enables you to utilize your skills in research, analysis, communication, leadership, and project management. Past HEA projects have included writing a strategic plan, compiling procedural manuals, organizing and publicizing events, revising the content and structure of websites, devising methods for engaging students in outreach initiatives, writing case studies, creating literature reviews, and putting together program proposals. These projects can take one of two forms:

HEA Internship Project. HEA internships provide mentored, project-based experiential learning opportunities that help advance the university’s mission. HEA internships are listed in GRAD Gargoyle. You can find them by navigating to the job board’s “Advanced Search” function and filtering by position type for “Internship – Higher Education Administration.” To be eligible for fulfilling the “Building Experience” Credential requirement, an internship must be at least 100 hours in duration. Note: An HEA internship cannot exceed 20 hours/week during the Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters, nor can it exceed 20 hours/week during Summer for students who are registered in that quarter. For students not registered in Summer quarter, the internship cannot exceed 37.5 hours/week during the summer. Please check with your Dean of Students to see if you are registered during the summer . If you are participating in an HEA internship and also hold a job, research assistantship, or teaching position on campus, the cumulative number of hours contributed to these activities may not exceed the totals above. For more information on this and other relevant policies, please click here.

Independent Project. Independent projects are self-directed opportunities to practice applying your skills to an area of administration. Some on-campus jobs may offer you opportunities to pursue an independent project alongside regular work duties. Alternatively, you can devise your own independent project. If you’d like to create your own project, you will be required to create a written proposal for review by UChicagoGRAD staff and to attend meetings to discuss the project with Kathrin Kranz, UChicagoGRAD Director of Experiential Education and Outreach. To discuss possibilities for an independent project, please email Kathrin.

Questions?

If you have questions about the Credential in Higher Education Administration, please contact Kathrin Kranz (kranz@uchicago.edu). If you are an on-campus office interested in hosting an HEA intern, please click here.