CoLab is a 4-week paid summer narrative-based research internship for UMBC undergraduates. Student interns will work on interdisciplinary project teams to conduct research, create effective narratives, and develop public-facing final products that support the goals of on and off campus community organizations and scholars. Open to all majors, this is an excellent opportunity for students in social science and humanities fields to gain research and technical skills.

Participants receive a $3000 stipend and a tuition scholarship for a 3-credit internship course.

Program Dates
CoLab 2024 will be held during Summer Session One and meets in-person from Monday, June 3rd through Friday, June 28th. PLEASE NOTE: During these dates, student interns are required to dedicate Monday through Friday from 9:30 am – 4:00 pm to the in-person internship.

Summer 2024 Projects

• 1. Entering Tola’s Room: Archiving Puerto Rican Presence in Baltimore
• 2. FindingBlackGirlhood: A Digital Archive
• 3. Ghosts in the Stacks: Exploring Spiritualism in the UMBC Special Collections Library
• 4. The History of The Choice Program at UMBC, A Mentoring and Diversion Program
• 5. Picturing Mobility: Photographs of Black Tourism and Leisure during the Jim Crow Era
• 6. Podcasting Baltimore’s LGBTQ+ Baltimore History
• 7. The History and Impact of the UMBC Center for Women in Technology (CWIT)

The IRC in Baltimore is now recruiting summer 2024 interns for roles ranging from legal services and career and financing coaching, to housing, cultural orientation, and health and social integration.  Apply online at www.rescue.org/careers before Friday, April 12!

About the IRC

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) was founded at the behest of Albert Einstein in 1933 to assist people fleeing from persecution. Since then, the IRC has grown and works all over the world providing humanitarian support. In Baltimore, the IRC works with refugees from the moment they step off the plane to help them get situated and become self-sufficient members of their new community.

Internship Opportunities

We offer 9 unique internships that offer a wide variety of opportunities to develop different skills and gain experience including:

·Career and Financial Coaching Intern: Career and financial coaching interns will assist IRC employment specialists with daily activities that contribute to the self-sufficiency of clients. This may include working individually with clients to conduct job searches and prepare for interviews, leading small group job readiness training sessions, conducting research on potential employers and assisting with service documentation. Interns may also have the opportunity to develop an employment-specific project.  

·Cultural Orientation Intern: The cultural orientation intern will assist the cultural orientation coordinator in designing, developing, and delivering structured training sessions on topics such as financial management, U.S. laws, housing, transportation, safety, healthcare, and cultural adjustment in order to aid refugees on their journey towards self-sufficiency.

·Health and Social Integration Intern: The health and social integration intern assists IRC’s intensive case management (ICM) program. The intern will work with the ICM team to connect at-risk clients to the healthcare, education, resources, and psychosocial resources that support their individual goals.

·Housing Intern: This intern will support the logistics specialist in planning and delivering essential housing program activities. This includes shopping for supplies, setting up new apartments, meeting with partners and volunteers, and conducting home visits and orientations with new clients.

·Immigration Legal Services Intern: The IRC is recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide immigration legal services. Some of our services include filing applications for adjustment of status (i.e. green cards), naturalization, and family reunification for refugees, asylees and immigrants. Interns will experience a first-hand look at the basics of immigration processes and procedures.

·Intake Intern: The intake team is the first point of contact for new “walk-in” asylees, parolees, secondary migrants and all other returning IRC clients. The team conducts eligibility assessments to determine client needs and refer to relevant IRC programs. Interns will meet directly with individual clients and families to support intake assessments.   

·Resettlement Intern: Resettlement interns will assist IRC’s resettlement team with daily activities that help to welcome and contribute to the self-sufficiency of refugees, asylees and other humanitarian immigrants in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The resettlement team is the first point of contact for newly arrived refugees and offers support, guidance and ongoing orientation through up to five years after arrival. Interns will work directly with individual clients and families to assist with providing resettlement services.

·Walk-In Services Intern: Walk-in services interns will assist IRC’s walk-in team with daily activities that help to welcome and contribute to the self-sufficiency of refugees, asylees and other humanitarian immigrants in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The walk-in team is the first point of contact for newly arrived immigrants and offers support, guidance and ongoing orientation through up to five years after arrival. Interns will work directly with individual clients and families to assist with providing walk-in services.

·Youth Intern: The youth program supports incoming refugee students and families to succeed in U.S. schools through providing orientations to the U.S. school system, facilitating parent engagement in their children’s education, and supporting public schools to serve refugee students. The youth intern will work closely with the youth services team to provide direct services to refugee families.

Internship Details

·       Hybrid: Summer 2024 internships will be hybrid. This includes a combination of standard office environment, remote work, and field time within the greater Baltimore area. The ability to work in-person is required.

·       Dates: Internships start with a required in-person orientation on Friday, May 31, 2024 (approx. 10 AM – 3 PM) at the IRC Baltimore office. Regular weekly hours start the week of June 3, 2024, and will continue through August 9, 2024 (10 total weeks).

·       Hours: Internships require a minimum of 12 hours per week for 10 weeks. Weekly schedules generally include three mornings or afternoons (i.e. 9am-1pm or 1pm-5pm), to be coordinated with each supervisor. Interns should be able to come to the office at least 1–2 days per week.

·       Laptop: Interns will be issued an IRC laptop for the duration of the internship to perform both remote and in-office responsibilities.

·       Reimbursement: Internships with the IRC in Baltimore are unpaid. University credit may be arranged. Summer 2024 interns are eligible for per diem reimbursement at the rate of $15 per day (defined as 7.5 hours) to offset the costs of food and travel of the internship. Interns may also be reimbursed for mileage driven for any approved activities (based on round-trip mileage from the IRC office).

The IRC is not able to sponsor visas.

Application Process

·       Due Date: apply online at www.rescue.org/careers by Friday, April 12.
·       Interviews: Applicants selected for interviews will be contacted to schedule interviews. Due to the volume of applications, only applicants who are selected for interviews will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted approximately April 25-29. When possible, interviews will be conducted in-person in the Baltimore office.

·       Offers: Applicants who have interviewed for positions can expect to receive a decision no later than May 3, 2024. Confirmations will be due by May 17th.  
·       Background Check: All selected interns will need to undergo and clear a background check to intern. We ask that, if possible, you make a $30 donation to help us cover the associated costs.

To view internship opportunities and apply, visit this link. Applications require a resume and cover letter.

If you need assistance in the application or hiring process to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation at any time. Please contact Talent Acquisitions at IRC.Recruitment@rescue.org. As required by law, the IRC will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with a known disability.

The deadline for this summer's faculty led study abroad program Social and Ethical Issues in Information Technology (CMSC 304) in England had been extended! The deadline to apply is now Monday, February 26th.  Course prerequisites are waived for anyone who wants to participate (ENGL 100 prerequisite still applies). This course is open for students in all majors and will meet the Study Abroad/Global Experience requirement for GLBL majors, in addition to fulfilling an Arts and Humanities GEP, and providing three upper level credits! This is an excellent opportunity for GLBL majors interested in security, privacy rights, and international data flow. This course will provide insights into foreign laws and ethical considerations to broaden student perspectives on the global nature of computer science and information technology

To book an appointment with Ms. Castle, please click HERE