A select group of U students spent the summer working with essential organizations like Preservation Utah, the Salt Lake City Mission and Neighborhood House as part of our Community Champions Internships program. Students reported an increase in leadership, self-discovery and career-ready skills. So many shared their desire to make an impact for good.

What do early U students get from serving the community?  

Nearly 100 undergraduates discovered answers first-hand by serving as Community Champions this summer. The U Career Success-led program matched first- and second-year students with 38 area nonprofit and community organizations in paid summer internships. Intern roles varied from data management and grant writing to working with children and special populations, as well as animal care, sports and social media. Many students walked away with new levels of self-discovery and career-forward confidence.

Ellie Wallis, an honors student in the Department of Health, Society, and Policy, researched and implemented sexual violence prevention strategies for the Rape Recovery Center. “With the challenges I faced during my internship, I’ve learned that I can easily adapt and overcome obstacles. This internship boosted my self-confidence overall, and I feel like I’m better equipped for other internships and research experiences in the future.”

Funded by a generous grant from the University of Utah President Taylor Randall’s office, Community Champions tackles a challenge most students face early on in their academic careers: “How do I get hired to gain experience when I don’t have experience yet?” In a Champions internship, participants can apply their classroom skills to real-world challenges and grow in the process. They also learn to describe the transferable skills they gain on resumes, in interviews and while networking.

At the same time, the organizations that contribute so much to the health and welfare of our region are often understaffed and underfunded. Interns bring energy, initiative, and a desire to learn and contribute. Champion interns shared how much they valued making a difference. Many expressed interest in continuing to work or volunteer in the nonprofit sector.

Valerie Favela, a business major in quantitative analysis of markets and organizations, created a resource guide for the care coordination team at the INN Between, an organization that provides end-of-life care for those experiencing homelessness. “This internship helped me to cement the idea of wanting to work with a company that positively impacts the communities around them.”

From classroom to workplace: Communication is key

Although Community Champions worked in a variety of roles for organizations from Alliance House to the Wildlands Network, nursing major Alondra Hernandez Bernardino expressed a common learning experience while interning at The Boys and Girls Club. “One of the challenges I faced was communicating effectively with the rest of the team,” she writes. “I took the initiative to speak with my supervisor and asked for feedback on how I could better collaborate with others. Their advice helped me improve how I shared ideas and supported group tasks.”

Wendy Garcia, a marketing major who developed social media and wrote policy at the Suazo Business Center, wrote, “I learned that communication skills are crucial…. I went into the internship believing that figuring out things on my own would demonstrate my ability, but that mindset was hurting my progress. After I spoke to two members of the company, I experienced a wake-up call. I was better able to communicate with my peers going forward and ended my time at Suazo on a good note. I thank the team for that.” Garcia’s willingness to respond to the demands of her role has left her well prepared for her next opportunity. Other skills interns cited included proactiveness, accountability, public speaking, teamwork, problem solving and time management.

Organizations praise the power of 100 

Champions internships are designed as part-time experiences with two or more interns assigned to each workplace. Students are paid hourly by the university. Aimee Frost, general manager of Hope Lodge for the American Cancer Society, expressed a common refrain by writing, “The Community Champions Internship has been an incredible asset to our organization. Having two interns through this program allowed us to expand our capacity in meaningful ways and brought a fresh perspective to our work. Their enthusiasm, initiative and professionalism reflect the high caliber of students engaged in this program.”

Intern supervisors found the program rewarding as well. Maria Soter, CEO of The Sammy Center preschool, which focuses on the social and emotional health of each child, writes:

“I had the privilege of mentoring young professionals by offering them real-world, hands-on experiences. They were introduced to like-minded individuals who shared their interests and passions, and they were able to gain invaluable knowledge, mentorship and guidance. It was deeply rewarding to watch them grow in both confidence and skill.”

Katie Donoviel of the English Skills Learning Center added, “This partnership was especially meaningful during a time of budget uncertainty and highlights the university’s commitment to supporting both student development and community-based organizations.”

Career connections with coaches 

Corporate and community engagement relationship manager Jane Dower was tasked with sourcing organizations interested in embarking on this new project. Her persistence and attention to detail in working with each supervisor were crucial to providing the opportunities necessary to launch Champions. Defining internship roles came next, followed by promoting the program and vetting student applications.

Liz Hasty, associate director of Early Career Exploration at U Career Success, collaborated with her team and with Jane to select candidates and create productive matches between students and organizations. Throughout the summer, Champions worked closely with their explorer coaches, eager to leverage their new skills in their next career stages. As Hasty said, “It was exciting to see the interns gain confidence as the summer progressed and to hear back about all the good that was accomplished in so many community organizations.”

As FoundNKept intern Vibha Giridhar Karanth shared in a blog post for U Career Success, “This summer taught me lessons I’ll carry everywhere, how to adapt quickly, communicate better, and grow through hands-on experience…. Most of all, I learned that feeling unprepared doesn’t mean you can’t succeed. With curiosity, support and a willingness to learn, you can grow into roles you never imagined for yourself.”

Brava, Karanth—as well as all our Community Champions, the organizations that sponsored them, the career coaches and multiple behind-the-scenes managers who made this effort possible.

It’s your turn

Plans for summer 2026 Community Champions are underway. For more info and to be notified when applications open, visit careers.utah.edu/experiential-learning/community-champions.

Don’t wait. Opportunities to learn and apply new skills are ready for you now. Connect with your career coach on Navigate U or sign up for an appointment directly at careers.utah.edu. You’ll also find information on multiple paid internships, on and off campus, at careers.utah.edu/experiential-learning.