Internships for high schoolers

The MIT Women's Technology Program (WTP) is a rigorous four-week summer academic experience to introduce high school students to engineering through hands-on classes, labs, and team-based projects in the summer after 11th grade. WTP is designed for students who are excited about learning, have demonstrated their ability to excel at math and science in their high school classes, and who have no prior background (or very little) in engineering, with few opportunities to explore these fields. WTP is a women-focused, collaborative community aimed at empowering students from groups historically underrepresented and underserved in engineering. We especially encourage students to apply who will be the first family member to attend college, who come from high schools with limited access to STEM classes and activities, or who are African American, Hispanic, or Native American.

The Forsyth Student Scholars Program includes an eight-week internship for Massachusetts high school students. The program pairs students with Forsyth faculty researchers as mentors. Interns learn basic laboratory techniques by participating in mentors’ research projects in a productive and enriching scientific environment. At the end of the program, students present their findings.

Interns will receive extensive training in marine science, climate science, public speaking, and customer service, as well as opportunities to gain many skills including time management and responsibility.

The High School Apprenticeship Challenge facilitates and funds paid internships for underrepresented and low-income high school students throughout Massachusetts. The program creates more than 100 new internship opportunities each year by subsidizing intern wages for small life sciences companies and research institutions to enable them to hire paid interns. The program also offers a pre-internship lab training program for some school districts that provides rigorous biotechnology/biomedical and professional skills development.

Do you have a passion for art? Are you curious about museums? Apply for a summer internship to work with other teens at the Art Institute and support festivals, gallery tours, and workshops that serve thousands of local and international visitors. As an intern you’ll engage with museum professionals, go behind the scenes, connect with our world-renowned collection, meet local artists, and plan and host creative programs.

Chicago Youth Service Corps is a year-round program that provides paid opportunities for youth ages 16-24 to engage in community service, project-based learning, and leadership development. Chicago Youth Service Corps celebrates and welcomes diverse backgrounds and encourages you to bring your experience, background, and traditions to your service.

NLI is a leadership program for 13-15 year old youth living or going to school in North Lawndale, Gage Park, and New City/Back of the Yards. Each session, youth get to know each other, engage in community-building games, and discuss and research issues around violence in their neighborhood. The ultimate goals are to gain leadership skills and meet with adult leaders, such as aldermen, to include youth voice in the changes they want to see in their communities.

The Adler Planetarium offers internship opportunities for high school students to engage with science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) in a fun and supportive environment. The Far Horizons Teens summer program teaches participants how to prevent light pollution through circuitry, computer programming, structural design, and teamwork. They will also develop prototype solutions to mitigate the effects of light pollution. Participants receive a stipend and transportation support takes the form of CTA passes. Another opportunity is the Youth Leadership Council, which provides advocacy and leadership development for young people interested in centering "youth voice" in the museum community. The council will design and curate a photography exhibition about light pollution, among other projects. The Adler Planetarium ensures that participants are educated about COVID-19 safety procedures.

The Saper Law Immersion Program was founded in 2013 by Daliah Saper, Principal Attorney at Saper Law Offices. While originally intended for recent law school graduates, the program has evolved into a week-long camp that exposes high school and college students to the legal profession. The course takes place at Saper Law Offices and is taught by Daliah Saper and other Saper Law attorneys. The curriculum consists of negotiation and writing exercises, field trips, and mock legal proceedings. Since Saper Law practices heavily in the areas of social media and digital technology, a key component of the exercises will involve entertainment, business, and internet related legal case studies.

Many of tomorrow's rock-star journalists can be found in our prestigious program for high school students, the Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute (MNJI). This five-week summer institute, also known as the cherub program, is for rising seniors seeking the inside scoop on professional journalism and looking to connect with peers who are just as passionate about pursuing a journalism career.

After School Matters is an internship program that offers more than 26,000 program opportunities to over 18,000 unique teens every year in Chicago. The program provides an opportunity for teens to work alongside skilled professionals who will help them develop job skills and expose them to rewarding careers. The programs are structured to benefit teens as instructors use several key best practices to guide their program flow. The program offers a variety of industry-specific, entry-level professional experiences with external organizations and companies to teens who are at least 16 years old. Teens who successfully complete the program requirements receive a monetary stipend. The program eligibility requirements include being a resident of Chicago, being 14 years old by the first day of the program, and meeting the specific age requirements for internships and assistantships.

The Genesys Works Student Internship program is designed to offer students access to business technology training and a year-long paid internship with a major corporation during their senior year of high school. Students develop professional skills during an eight-week summer skills training program focused on areas like conflict resolution, communication, and business etiquette. After the successful completion of training, students are placed in a 20-hour per week paid internship as a contributing member of a professional team. The program offers additional classroom instruction, individual college and/or career counseling, and ongoing support through the Alumni Program to ensure students achieve college and career success. Participating students earn $10,000-$15,000 and build an impressive resume while driving meaningful change in major corporations.

CSBI matches Chicago high school students with internships in leading companies in Chicago. Our goal is to supply students with the skills and connections that they need to begin their careers as working professionals. Students make connections with industry experts in fields like finance, law, government, and more.

Explore nature in the city, participate in hands-on scientific investigations, and learn about career paths in ecology, environmental science, and conservation! Participants in the Teenagers Exploring and Explaining Nature and Science (TEENS) program conduct urban ecology and environmental science investigations, study the nature found in our city’s parks, neighborhoods, and forest preserves, and participate in habitat restoration and other ecological stewardship activities. Teens contribute data to existing local, regional and global research projects and work in teams to develop their own research questions to investigate. Program participants learn how to use smartphones to collect data in the field and create web-based digital maps and other data visualizations.

The University of Chicago Youth Internship Program is a paid summer employment opportunity for Chicago Public Schools high school students who live on the South Side. The program lasts for two summers and aims to provide students with valuable work experience, a stronger peer network, and professional development opportunities through weekly workshops, guest speakers, social-emotional learning seminars, career exploration activities, and college readiness and access programming. The first summer is focused on career and college awareness, exploration, and preparation, while the second summer offers a six-week direct internship within one of several University units in health sciences, computer sciences, or IT services.

The Wheaton College Summer Institute (WCSI) is a premier pre-college program where you'll join outstanding high school students like you for academic study, artistic expression, and spiritual development with world-class Christian faculty -- all on the beautiful campus of Wheaton College. You'll even earn college credit. And you'll have a ton of fun.

CYCs serve as a mechanism for current 9th -11th graders to have input on city policy. Each CYC consists of 25-30 young people from across the city who meet to participate in team building, leadership development, research, and the creation of policy proposals to key decision makers in city government. Citywide Youth Councils allow youth to have a voice in the formation, implementation, and evaluation of public policy; councils we are recruiting for now include the Juvenile Justice Council (JJC), CPS Student Advisory Council (SAC), Teen Health Council (THC), and Youth Safety Advisory Council (YSAC).

The King Conservation Leadership Academy is a program offered by the Chicago Zoological Society and Brookfield Zoo that focuses on leadership development through environmental literacy and inclusion. Designed to cultivate the next generation of conservation-minded leaders, the program offers a range of opportunities for students to incorporate experiences related to their individual interests and passions. These opportunities include courses on mental health, coding, writing, and animal wellness, as well as interactions with real-world experts, unique travel and research experiences, and public speaking growth opportunities. The program also provides college pathway mapping workshops, resume building, and personal essay writing, and offers numerous scholarships and internship opportunities for King Scholars. The next cohort will be accepted for the spring/summer of 2023.

The Chicago Philharmonic’s Community Engagement Programs aim to make classical music accessible to all Chicagoans by bridging the gap between the musicians in their orchestra and the local community. Their programs involve bringing music into public schools, hosting free concerts in public spaces, providing young musicians with performance opportunities, and offering mentoring programs for exceptional young musicians. One of their programs, Side by Side with the Chicago Philharmonic, brings free symphonic concerts to Chicago parks in local communities on the South and West sides. The AMP program brings Chicago Philharmonic musicians to schools for a six-week period to teach music lessons, play alongside students in side-by-side rehearsals and concerts, and improve students’ music technique. The Families to the Phil program underwrites symphonic concert tickets for students and their families from Chicago-area public schools, community music schools, and youth orchestras. Additionally, the program hosts the Spotlight program, which gives professional symphonic performance opportunities to exceptional young musicians, and the NEXT! initiative, which showcases emerging musicians to Chicago Philharmonic patrons, musicians, and conductors. Finally, the Chicago Philharmonic Paid Summer Internship is offered to four high school students each summer and includes mentorship and training in areas of arts administration such as marketing, development, operations, and community engagement, as well as a musical performance element guided by Chicago Philharmonic musicians.

At Illinois Tech, we offer middle and high school students an opportunity to elevate their summer through Elevate College Prep. Through our one-of-a-kind program, you can take part in more than just a summer college prep programs—you’ll broaden your knowledge and skills through an array of academic offerings, hands-on experiences, and mentorship. Among the many options that we’re offering for summer 2023 are programs that examine pressing issues facing our society, including STEM, sustainability, next-generation technology, computing and security, and much more. You can also take part in programs that highlight some of the most dynamic and growing fields today such as game development and cybersecurity. You can even take courses that will earn you college credit! Learn more about the middle and high school college prep programs that Illinois Tech is offering for summer 2023, and get ready to take your college prep experience to the next level.

Do you love culture, people and Chicago? Share your expertise with visitors! Learn more about how you can become the friendly face of DCASE as a building tour guide or by providing information at the Chicago Cultural Center and/or at events. With DCASE you will connect guests (Chicagoans and visitors alike) with some of the city’s cultural treasures, such as Millennium Park, the Chicago Cultural Center, Clarke House Museum and the Taste of Chicago. Volunteers help in a variety of ways: leading tours, providing information, greeting and wayfinding at events and more.

Careers in Science is a multi-year, year-round, paid internship and youth development program for San Francisco high school students who come from communities underrepresented in STEM, including girls and students of color.

SUMaC leads participants on a journey in advanced mathematics through lectures, guided research, and group problem solving. In an environment centered on mathematics, participants explore current lines of mathematical research, the historical development of important areas of mathematics, and applications across scientific disciplines.

The OCFA Fire Cadet Program offers a ten-week Fire Cadet Trainee Academy that covers basic level skills. Trainees will attend nine weeks of entry-level classes at Fire Cadet Posts and take a final exam during week ten at OCFA Headquarters. Upon successful completion, participants become full members of the program and are ride-along certified. Prospective Fire Cadets can apply by filling out an interest form and will be contacted to complete a detailed application, including a current report card. The Fire Cadet Trainee Academies are held twice a year, and candidates over 18 must complete a background check.