February 18, 2025

More than money: Scholarships, jobs, internships map to students’ interests

Original illustration by Burke Smithers

Editor’s note: This article was updated in February 2025. Thank you to the students and UAA staff members who contributed.

Here in Undergraduate Academic Affairs, we are excited to offer a broad range of funded opportunities — scholarships, internships and jobs — that map to students’ interests.

UAA programs provide undergraduates with unique pathways to gain paid experience in their area of interest, opening doors to opportunities they might not otherwise have. These pathways include roles in research labs, K-12 schools, community organizations, international experiences, professional settings and even grad school. 

While front desk and other student staff positions remain a critical component of daily operations, students might find these opportunities more specifically aligned to their passions and career goals. Across these varied experiences, the support of UAA staff helps students develop their career aspirations, build a sense of community, make a meaningful impact and apply their academic knowledge beyond the classroom. 

Through these experiences, students gain valuable insights into professional mentorship, civic responsibility, leadership development, independence, problem-solving skills, flexibility, communication and equity training. Students also get a head start on building their professional networks and develop a rich set of experiences that prepare them for meaningful careers and active community engagement.

Read on to learn about what’s available through UAA, including community-based work, leadership development, scholarships and research. They are ordered by program below, or use the accordion organization to jump around.

Academic Support Programs

Opportunities

• Academic success coaches meet with students in one-on-one sessions to provide academic support to build strategies including topics such as time management, study strategies, motivation, navigating resources at the UW and more.
• CLUE tutors provide tutoring support for students individually or lead review sessions for upcoming exams in a specific subject area.
• Student assistants support the on-the-ground operations of CLUE Tutoring and Academic Success Coaching by completing administrative tasks, supporting students and staff, working on projects and welcoming visitors.

What you’ll gain

CLUE tutors and academic support coaches

• Empowerment from sharing your own story and relating to other Huskies’ experiences because you’ve been there.
• Ability to identify and address the needs of the person you are meeting with, one-on-one, in real-time.
• Public speaking practice by giving presentations, leading sessions and workshops.
• Familiarity with using language to provide equitable support while encouraging a growth mindset and resilience development.

Student assistants

• An ability to manage multiple, complex systems at once, while ensuring the needs of students, staff and visitors are met.
• Communication skills working with students and colleagues through both verbal and written modalities.

From each of the three roles

• Communication skills to work with colleagues to ensure programming runs smoothly and that students’ needs are met.
• Interpersonal skills gained through working with diverse groups of people.
• Training in educational equity, histories of exclusion and strategies for inclusion at the UW.

What people are saying

Meryl Hubbard, Academic Support Programs student assistant

As a student assistant, I’ve gained hands-on experience in project coordination, data analysis and educational support resource development. I am grateful that my role has invited me to participate in professional spaces that gave me the direct experience I need to work in higher education after graduation. As a CLUE math tutor, I strengthened my math abilities while supporting students through familiar challenges with the supportive guidance I received when I first found CLUE. Whether you’re interested in peer tutoring, expanding your communication skills, or building a welcoming campus community, working with ASP provides practical experience that looks great on a resume while making a lasting difference in students’ lives. Plus, you get to work with an amazing team of supportive mentors while helping fellow students succeed!

— Meryl Hubbard, ’25, education studies: foundations of teaching,

former CLUE drop-in math tutor and current ASP student assistant

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Community Engagement and Leadership Education Center (CELE Center)

P- K/12 School engagement opportunities

• Dream Project college and career readiness assistants mentor middle and high school students in under-resourced schools to support their planning for life after high school, including the postsecondary education and financial aid application process.
• Mentorship coordinator interns have previously taken the CELE Center’s Dream Project Introduction to Mentoring Strategies course. Mentorship coordinator interns lead the quiz section for this class, accompany current mentorship course students in high school classrooms and coach peers through their on-site work.
• Work study tutors support kindergarten through 9th grade students in Seattle Public Schools, helping address inequities in public education in Washington State. Tutors are paid hourly via their Federal Work-Study Awards and focus on early literacy and math skills in alignment with the federal America Reads / America Counts program.

What you’ll gain

• Insight into educational equity in relation to educational access and post-secondary planning as well as the challenges under-resourced schools face.
• Better understanding of communication techniques that take into account the identities of who you are working with (middle and high school students from diverse backgrounds).
• An understanding of post-secondary planning basics including the financial aid process, editing personal statements and writing resumes.
• An opportunity to work independently with a high level of responsibility while being supported by a professional at the school.
• Experience developing programs that best meet the needs of the school you are working in.
• Sense of professionalism by learning boundary-setting.
• Budding professional network, possibly leading to a job. Dream Project alumni are sometimes hired into professional positions at their school site.

What people are saying

Anthony Berry, ’19, high school career specialist

It’s difficult to bring to words the true impact that Dream Project made in my professional development, academic trajectory and personal growth. Importantly, my involvement has allowed me to view the education system through a more social justice and equitable lens. Rather than just good intentions, you begin to recognize the true importance of empowerment, advocacy, service learning and collaboration. Through this, I’ve formed some of the most meaningful relationships that’ll last a lifetime. Receiving a stipend for my leadership roles in UW Dream Project has definitely made a difference. My first three years at this university, I was having to deal with early commutes to campus and late commutes back home. But, with my roles having stipends I was able to get housing near campus for my senior year which has made a tremendous difference in my campus experiences. 

— Anthony Berry, ’19, public health-global health
Former lecture lead and college and career readiness assistant
Current high school career specialist

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Jumpstart

Opportunities

• Jumpstart AmeriCorps members work with preschoolers in historically under-resourced communities on literacy, language and socio-emotional development skills to prepare them for kindergarten.
• Team leaders play a crucial part in ensuring high-quality programming is delivered by their team of four to five AmeriCorps members, which involves facilitating meetings, coaching members and participating in team leader meetings.
• Program assistants focus on curriculum development, day-to-day operations of the program, social media and Jumpstart member recruitment.
• Student equity officers run safe, student-only forums to discuss social justice topics selected by the Corps members.

What you’ll gain

• Strategies for effectively working with 3-5-year-olds through more than 50 hours of live and self-led training in early childhood education.
• A broader understanding of social justice issues, particularly those affecting educational inequities in Seattle and beyond.
• An ability to meld various work, communication and teaching styles by team teaching.
• Support developing and refining your unique leadership style.
• Hourly pay as a federal work study student for Jumpstart service and training.
• The AmeriCorps Segal Education Award, upon completing 300 hours of service, which can be used for tuition and current qualifying student loans.
• Access to service-learning placements, internship placements and capstone requirements through Jumpstart, including the ability to enroll in LEAD 298A to earn two credits.
• Support for career development that includes guidance from BIPOC professionals to help you build your network and find jobs.
• Job skills that apply across fields based on your broad teaching, leadership and collaboration experiences as a Corps member.
• Access to an incredible network of professionals and alumni through AmeriCorps, Jumpstart National, and the Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center.

What people are saying

Erick Pelayo, ‘24, former Jumpstart team leader

The overall time I have spent in Jumpstart has shown me that working with young children requires patience and a lot of energy, but it is also very rewarding. I have been able to see how children can come out of their comfort zone and how they are willing to learn when given the proper support. As someone who grew up in a low-income household and did not have much exposure to high quality early education, I can say confidently that having more exposure to quality education practices can really make a difference in a child’s future. In my time in Jumpstart, I have realized that I would like to become a child psychologist or a teacher depending on where my career may lead me.

— Erick Pelayo, ‘24, sociology
Former Jumpstart team leader

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Riverways Education Partnerships

Opportunity

The Riverways Guides program recruits Native and rural UW students to mentor and guide K-12 students in tribal communities as they envision pathways toward higher education that include community colleges as a viable alternative.

What you’ll gain

• A sense of empowerment by sharing your story — which is also inspiring for the students you are working with.
• A paycheck to mentor younger students and support your community.
• Experience administering a complex program that involves connecting with partners, setting up workshops and creating tools for future students to use.

Tanya Eison, former Riverways Education Partnerships rural and tribal facilitator

What people are saying

Riverways has allowed me to learn more about the Makah Tribe. My undergraduate team members and the teachers and students in Neah Bay are all amazing, and I’m thankful for having the opportunity to meet them all through this program. The 5th graders are always so excited to see us and leave us in great spirits as we continue our days at UW. Riverways has personally benefited my community on my own reservation. The Taholah Education Center has become one of our community partners and is partaking in the alternative spring break week for the first time this year! One of the key highlights that I will take away from this position when I graduate is that a great partnership requires respect, communication and dedication to succeed. I hope to continue to utilize these teachings in my future professions.

— Tanya Eison, citizen of the Quinault Indian Nation
Former Native Pathway guide
Former Riverways Education Partnerships rural and tribal facilitator and graduate student in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs

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Undergraduate Community-Based Internship Program

Opportunities

Paid internships at nonprofits and public sector organizations.

What you’ll gain

• A $4,500 stipend to explore public service careers while working in and for local communities.
• A customized learning plan you develop with your site manager to ensure you gain the experience you’re looking for and your host organization receives support for meaningful projects.
• Support and frameworks for making meaning of your internship through weekly cohort meetings led by experienced graduate student mentors.
• Insight into social justice, the complexity of our identities, leadership development and self-care.
• Career development that covers storytelling for interviews, job searching, writing resumes and cover letters and building your network.
• Increased clarity on your values, professional interests and career pathways.

What people are saying

Kimmy Nguyen, former UCBI intern

As a UCBI intern, “I was part of a cohort with other passionate students. We built a community and I got to learn and hear from students of diverse backgrounds and experiences. We were able to connect through our weekly cohort meetings and small groups led by mentors and staff. I learned more about my intersection of identities, the privileges I hold, and how to engage with our communities authentically and compassionately. Being partnered with a nonprofit focused on housing and community development in the International District, I connected with high school students who shared similar identities as me and learned from nonprofit professionals.”

— Kimmy Nguyen, ’20, medical anthropology and global health
Former UCBI intern 

Fellowships

Opportunities

• Ellis Civic Fellows is a four-year program during which you explore interests in service and leadership and bring together your academic and community-engaged work.
• NextGen Civic Leaders Corps is a partnership with the Evans School that brings together like-minded undergraduate students for networking and exploration of topics around community engagement, leadership development and public service. 
• Jackson Munro Public Service Fellowships provides undergraduates with the opportunity to develop their civic leadership capacity through summer internships in the nonprofit and government sectors.

What you’ll gain

Ellis Civic Fellows

• Tuition support of $12,000 across four years.
• Tailored advising and mentorship to bring together academic and community-engaged work.

NextGen Civic Leaders Corps

• Connections and community building with other students.
• Priority access to scholarship and fellowship funding.
• Opportunities to learn from nonprofit and government leaders through conversations, internships and mentorship programs.

Jackson Munro Public Service Fellowships

• A stipend for completing a public service internship or summer project.

From each of the three fellowships

• A lifelong commitment to community and public service and personal growth.
• Support and frameworks for developing as a civic leader.
• Support in exploring coursework in leadership and public policy.

What people are saying

Feben Gebremichael, former Ellis Civic Fellow

As part of the fellowship, I worked with a number of different organizations. First I explored local food banks, then a brief internship with Ventures, a non-profit that helps equip people with the tools they need to start their own businesses, then with the Dream Project. That was when I decided on my capstone project – a peer mentorship program offering academic support and professional development for students of color wanting to enter business and STEM fields.

— Feben Gebremichael, ’18, Business Administration and Information Systems, Former Ellis Civic Fellow

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First Year Programs

Opportunities

• Virtual orientation leaders work on a team of 25 alongside First Year Programs professional staff, student staff, and other UW faculty and leaders to support incoming first-year students’ transition to the University of Washington.
• Student assistants interact daily with first-year students and their families, in addition to University administrators, faculty and staff.
• Student coordinators maintain a visible presence on the UW campus, facilitating daily interactions between newly admitted students, their families, and University personnel including administrators, faculty and staff.

What you’ll gain

Virtual orientation leaders

• Compensation from June to August plus benefits of up to three  academic credits.
• Foster community engagement by sharing UW’s values, culture and traditions with new students, enhancing their sense of belonging and pride.
• Develop professional skills through facilitating small groups, managing time effectively, solving problems, thinking critically, and mastering  digital tools and systems.

Student assistants

• Receive hourly compensation and benefits while working in a supportive, team-oriented environment.
• Engage with the UW community by responding to student and family inquiries via phone, email and text.
• Build essential skills in customer service, adaptability, problem-solving and critical thinking while collaborating with teams and navigating digital platforms. 

Student coordinators

• Earn hourly compensation and benefits while working in a supportive, team-oriented environment.
• Serve as a key liaison between professional staff and program-specific student staff to support office and program operations.
• Develop leadership abilities through problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaborative work managing registration, preparation and logistics.

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Honors Program

Opportunities:

Scholarships for Honors students cover a range of experiences, including tuition, international programs and access to experiential learning opportunities.

Honors Undergraduate Scholar Awards for 4-year residents, partial residents and non-residents offer tuition waivers, and special awards for second-year admissions are often available. 

Students matriculated at the UW who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees with Interdisciplinary and/or Departmental Honors have many opportunities to apply for awards and scholarships.  Click here to learn about continuing student scholarships in the Honors Program.

Honors student assistants

The Honors Program serves students from all majors across the Seattle campus with enhanced academics and extracurricular opportunities. Honors staff operate a unique curriculum, advising services, scholarships and special programs, plus several classroom, meeting, office and study spaces that could not operate effectively without the help of student assistants. Often serving as “the first face of Honors,” student assistants support our mission across dozens of key areas.

What you’ll gain

• Earn hourly compensation and benefits while working in a supportive, team-oriented environment.
• Receive visitors to the Honors suite and manage requests for Honors-related classrooms, meeting spaces and other resources.
• Engage with the public and UW community by responding to inquiries via phone, email and text.
• Serve as a liaison between professional staff and students, faculty, and members of the public. 
• Build essential skills in customer service, adaptability, problem-solving and critical thinking while collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Practice drafting and publishing student and faculty stories and artifacts across multiple platforms.
• Practice drafting correspondence, articles, letters, phone scripts, web pages, one-pagers, event fliers, social media and blog posts.

What people are saying

I am so grateful for this scholarship and the opportunity it provides me to delve deeper into the areas of study I love! 

— Nia Brice, Honors Gerberding Scholarship recipient, fall 2024

 

I have learned a lot from this position. Not only the more tangible skills like WordPress, communication skills, digital publishing and website editing, but also what is expected in an office setting, how to work and communicate with others on deadlines, and how to collaborate on projects to ensure that expectations are met.

— Anika Neumeyer, Honors student assistant, winter 2025

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Mary Gates Endowment for Students

Opportunities

• Academic year scholarships: $5,000 scholarships ($2,500 per quarter for two quarters) for undergraduates to pursue research and/or leadership projects.

What you’ll gain

• Skills and confidence in your abilities as a researcher and leader.
• Funds to support your leadership or research engagement as you refine your academic and career goals. 
• A community of Mary Gates Scholars to learn from and share ideas for navigating projects and overcoming challenges.
• Experience working alongside faculty, graduate students, staff, community members and peers doing work that matters and that contributes to exciting new ideas.
• The ability to make an impact on the research field or communities and systems that you are passionate about.
• Preparation for graduate school-style research by developing independence in Mary Gates research projects.
• Relationships with mentors who help guide projects and support your development as a scholar and leader.

What people are saying

Research has its shares of ups and downs. While frustrating, I have learned just as much, if not more, from troubleshooting my failures as my successes. My mentors have been there every step, offering guidance and pushing me to develop as a researcher, engineer and thinker. Being able to do research at this level as an undergraduate has shaped my interests and career path already, and I am excited to see how I build on this experience in my future.

— Jonah Kern, ‘22, bioengineering
two-time Mary Gates Research awardee

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Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards

Opportunities

Connections to scholarships to support students’ goals and identify a broad range of opportunities for current undergraduate studies, future graduate training, international experiences and summer programs.

What you’ll gain

• Help identify opportunities you may not have considered and support through the scholarship application process, clarifying and articulating near and long-term goals.
• Preparation for scholarship interviews that teach you how to tell your story and share goals clearly and concisely.
• A strong network of mentors to support scholarship applications and other applications or even serve as references for future employers.
• Skills and confidence to directly apply to other applications and interviews, such as scholarships, fellowships, grad school and jobs.

What people are saying

Milli Wijenaike-Bogle, ’22, public health major and data science minor

Although it was disappointing at the time to not receive the scholarship I applied to, the scholarship application process was a reward in itself. The confidence I gained from the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards Director Robin Chang’s support and knowing that I had seven or eight people who would take time out of their incredibly busy schedules to write a letter for me was instrumental in taking a risk by applying to competitive graduate schools in public health. Having all my application materials for graduate school ready in September before school started was invaluable. The scholarship application process in itself can inform your path and/or understanding of yourself in ways you might not expect.

— Milli Wijenaike-Bogle, ’22, public health

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Undergraduate Academic Affairs Advising

Opportunity

• Peer advisers hold 10-15 minute drop-in advising sessions and answer general advising emails.
• Student associates work at our front desk to manage office flow and appointment scheduling.

What you’ll gain

Peer advisers

• An understanding of communication skills, policies and procedures, advising and racial equity through extensive training in spring quarter.
• Hourly compensation for time worked and time spent in training. 
• Skills to apply to your future career, regardless of the field. Alumni share how active listening, problem-solving, understanding policy and communicating with a vast array of constituents benefit their careers.
• An entry point for those interested in a career in higher education. Many advising staff members on campus worked as peer advisers during their time in undergrad.

Student associates 

• Hourly compensation as a federal work study student.
• An understanding of communication skills, scheduling systems, policies and procedures, and racial equity through training at the beginning of fall quarter. 
• Skills to apply to your future career, regardless of the field. 
• Mentorship and relationship building with staff in various roles within higher education. 

What people are saying

Lily Peterson, ’20, UW academic adviser, Path to UW transfer adviser

The peer advising role connected me with mentors and colleagues across campus who were able to connect me with opportunities and informational interviews to support my own personal and professional development. I believe networking and conversations are key to personal growth and professional opportunities, and this role brought me into spaces where I was able to learn more about what roles are in higher education beyond just teaching. Ultimately this role solidified my desire to pursue advising professionally and benefitted me by equipping me with knowledge and connections in advance so I had a support system in the transition out of UW into the professional world.

— Lily Peterson, ’20, education, communities and organizations
Former peer adviser
Current UW academic adviser, Path to UW transfer adviser

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Office of Undergraduate Research

Opportunities

• The Washington Research Fellowship and Levinson Emerging Scholars programs provide funding to conduct advanced, mentored research projects in the life sciences and related fields
• The Summer Institute in the Arts & Humanities (SIAH) is an intensive research opportunity for students from all disciplines to engage in scholarly research in the arts and humanities with accomplished scholars and peers while earning academic credit.
• Visit the Office of Undergraduate Research’s website for more paid research opportunities, including summer programs and conference travel awards.

What you’ll gain

• Funding to pursue research: The Washington Research Foundation Fellowship provides $8,000 across the academic year; Levinson awards up to $8,000; and SIAH provides $7,500 in summer scholarship funding.
• Travel funding to present your research at a conference in your field. 
• A community of peers engaged in research to learn and grow with.
• Mentors to help guide your research and support you through the process.
• Experience presenting research to a range of audiences.

What people are saying

Molly Gasperini, ’12, ’19, senior scientist at Cajal Neuroscience

“The Levinson Emerging Scholar Award first spurred me to think of myself as a scientific scholar. This was the first investment in me as an individual researcher. Not only did it allow me to pursue crucial early research experience free of financial burden, but it also gave me the confidence to see myself as someone whose time could be spent in the pursuit of learning and scientific advancement. This confidence is often lacking in young female scientists, and the Levinson was crucial for me to overcome my self-doubt.”
— Molly Gasperini, ’12, ’19, B.S. biology; Ph.D. genome sciences
Senior scientist at Cajal Neuro

Mark your calendar!

Join us May 16, 2025, for the 28th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium

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