College Internship Program
Intern Testimonials
Hear from some of our past interns what the Campaign Internship gave to them!
“The advice I would give is to come ready and willing to learn. It’s okay if you don’t know everything. That’s why you're here, and you're in good hands.”
— Jennifer
I’ve said it a million times before, but I ALWAYS BRAG about the Evolve team. For my first time in a non-profit organization I got to learn the skills and strengths to be a leader and stronger writer, as well as plan and coordinate how to mobilize the community.” — Neftaly
“I truly value the trust and agency that I was granted as an intern. I felt like I was very much trusted to follow through with my ideas and to take on projects independently. This level of trust was not only empowering but also gave me a sense of responsibility and accountability.”
— Tran
“I learned to be more confident in myself, my public speaking and my passion for education equity; I was also able to engage and learn about local bay area issues.” — Tania S.
“The thing that I value the most specifically about Evolve is the sheer, unparalleled dedication to serving the needs of our youth and schools. It’s quite rare to find an organization that actually has such a laser focus on education and doesn’t just list education to look ‘good’.”
— Davina
“I loved and valued our socials and lunch as a group. I loved that they were all interested in what our lives look like and showed interest in growing our professional development. ” — Dani
“I also love how I actually felt like a part of the team. From socials to check-ins, Ben, Maddie, and Emily were always so welcoming. I didn’t feel like an intern who just does coffee runs or gets talked down to as in some of my other internships.”
— Hafsah
“The people are awesome and care about your success, so allow yourself to make mistakes and ask questions. It is the best place to fail and try again.”
— Arin
“Do not fear the unknown. As cliche as this sounds, often, I find myself not giving something a try because I do not know what to expect, I do not have experience, or I am nervous about not getting it right the first time around. However, interning at Evolve CA has made me realize it is the opposite.”
— Ciara
“As for skills, I overcame my fear of public speaking and self-advocacy, things that I think are really important for people that come from the same background as me.”
— Tania N.
“I value the optimism of Evolve most of all. The organization has kept fighting and keeps putting out messaging even though the next election is a while away. You all have taught me that politics is a long game and loss can be encouraging so long as we learn from it!”
— Reva
“This internship challenged me. I gained a stronger understanding of my state and that our lack of resources for public schools is not normal.”
— Nathan
“I greatly value how everyone at Evolve truly cares about all of their interns. You learn so much from the variety of opportunities they give you.” — Gillian
About the Program
Interns receive an immersive introduction to grassroots organizing and advocacy. We empower young people with hands-on experience that has a direct impact on our campaign to fully fund public education. Time is divided between the following areas of focus.
Civic Engagement: The fundamental building block of any grassroots movement is one person talking to another. Interns learn to effectively communicate with the public and inspire people to take action.
Digital Content Creation: Interns create original social media content to raise awareness and build support for our campaign. Interns become proficient with various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Volunteer Coordination: The backbone of any grassroots movement is people. Interns learn the valuable skills of recruiting, training, and inspiring volunteers.
Policy Research: Facts matter. Interns conduct research that is used by our organization and coalition partners to raise awareness and build support for our campaign to end the education crisis.
Leadership Development: Our internship program is training the next generation of grassroots leaders by fully integrating them into our work. Interns learn to work in a team and to take on individual leadership responsibilities for various aspects of our work.
To read more about the impact of our internship program, check out this newsletter: Stupski Blog: Now is the Time to Make California Public Schools a Priority
