Internship Opportunities for Low-Income Students
One thing Tufts does well is providing support for students looking to secure internships through their Career Center! The Career Center can help you explore your career interests and find opportunities. From resume reviews to mock interviews, there’s no real shortage of resources to help you navigate your career path. They even offer customizable weekly emails (called TRACC) that highlight jobs, internships, research, and other opportunities that fit your goals! No matter where you are on your career journey, they make sure you’re prepared!
Personally, I was initially a little skeptical about how helpful these resources could be. As an FGLI (first-generation, low-income) student, I was used to figuring things out on my own, so I tried to apply for internships without help. However, it didn’t go as smoothly as I expected, and I struggled to make progress. That’s when I decided to book an appointment with the Career Center. As a Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology student, I met with Robin Kahan, a career advisor who focuses on engineering students. She gave me invaluable advice on everything from refining my resume to networking tips that I would have never thought of on my own, even going over the time of our meeting to help me!
There is also an amazing resource specifically for low-income undergraduate students called Project Onramp. This program offers opportunities in various fields such as industry labs, computer science, business strategy, marketing, communications, clinical operations, and HR. They partner with over 80+ companies including Pfizer and Takeda. What’s even better about this program is that instead of competing against a huge pool of applicants, you will only compete against 4-5 other candidates! To qualify, you just need to be Pell Grant-eligible. It’s an incredible opportunity!
I know several friends who have gone through this program and landed internships they never thought they could get. Without Project Onramp, these opportunities might have felt out of reach. It’s an amazing opportunity that you just have to take advantage of!
Take Jed Quiaoit, for an example. Jed worked with Obsidian Therapeutics, a start-up leveraging the human immune system to fight cancer cells. Having only taken introductory lab courses, he was initially intimidated by the learning curve of the immunology content and the fast-paced nature of a startup. However, overtime, he built the confidence to satisfy his curiosity, ask lots and lots of questions, and network with other scientists to inform his future options, whether it be getting a PhD or jumping straight into the biotech industry. “Project Onramp definitely helped build my confidence,” says Jed. He shared, “Especially in an industry where connections accelerate the internship and job hunt process, I’m glad there are opportunities like these dedicated to students with first-generation and/or low-income (FGLI) backgrounds.”