Invest in Real-World Experiences with Honors at Work

Update:

The Honors College is delighted that Brian Wolff has made a generous $10,000 leadership gift to support our internships and ignite our One Day, One U of A campaign. Thank you, Brian, for your commitment to helping our students gain real-world experiences through internships!

Invest in Real-World Experiences with Honors at Work

Honors students actively pursue experiences that extend their learning beyond the classroom and prepare them for their next step from graduate school to research, public service and meaningful careers. Through Honors at Work, donor support helps turn those ambitions into reality.

An internship can be transformative. It allows students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-world challenges, build professional networks, and gain clarity about their future goals. These hands-on experiences often become defining moments in a student’s college journey.

But access to internships is not equal. Many of the most meaningful opportunities, particularly in fields like public research, STEM, policy, and the arts, are unpaid or low-paid.

Students may need to relocate to expensive cities, secure short-term housing, arrange transportation, and purchase professional attire. For some, saying “yes” to a powerful internship also means taking on significant financial strain. Too often, talented students must turn down opportunities because they simply cannot afford to accept them.

Honors at Work aims to raise $5,000 to help offset costs such as travel, housing, living expenses, and other essentials that make participation possible. Every dollar raised will directly support honors students pursuing unpaid or underpaid internships, helping remove financial barriers and expanding access to life-changing professional experiences.

In 2019, The Honors College received grant funding to support internships for five years. During that time, demand far outpaced available funds, as students frequently needed additional assistance to access opportunities. That grant cycle has now ended, but the need remains.

With your support, more honors students can confidently pursue internships that align with their passions, strengthen their academic experience, and shape their future.