Oglethorpe is now offering multiple ways for undocumented students to pursue paid internships through a collaboration with TheDream.US.
The university has partnered with TheDream.US since fall 2019 to offer scholarships for undocumented students to cover their tuition. This academic year, the partnership expanded to include an internship program that is open to all 140 TheDream.US Scholars at Oglethorpe. TheDream.US provides internship funds of up to $15,000 total per academic year for scholars to use for any unpaid internship they want to pursue.
To qualify, the students must be in good academic standing and secure an unpaid internship, either on or off campus. The goal of the internship program is to ensure the scholars have access to experiential learning opportunities that will help them prepare for their careers.
Peter Dye, assistant director of community and global engagement, is an advisor for Oglethorpe’s TheDream.US program and has worked closely with Dr. Lisa Conley, director of career development, and with Dream.US scholars to bring the internship program to life.
“It’s really a question of how are we going to make sure that our students can get valuable experience, valuable internships, and also make sure they get compensated for their time to make it actually worthwhile,” said Dye.
Currently, two students are participating in the program this semester, but Dye hopes that with these funds, more undocumented Petrels will take advantage of the opportunity and gain the experience they need to be successful.
In addition to TheDream.US internship program, undocumented students — and the entire Oglethorpe student body — can apply for the Paul Hackett Internship Scholarship to fund an unpaid internship. Historically, undocumented students don’t have many opportunities to find real-world experience through internships and get compensated for their work. Now, Oglethorpe has these two resources that will benefit many Petrels for years to come.
While immigration status can be limiting for many students, Oglethorpe has tried to provide additional resources for undocumented Petrels as they prepare for life after graduation.
The Global Education and Career Development offices are working closely with OU faculty Dr. Maura Dudley and Dr. Lea Alford to gather and share resources for undocumented students related to internships, fellowships, and graduate school. Global Education is also working toward further educating faculty, staff, and the larger Oglethorpe community with workshops, trainings, and a new resource guide being created by Dream.US scholar Liliana Alvarado ’23.
Alvarado is interning with the Office of Global Education, an opportunity that is funded through TheDream.US internship program. In this role, she is developing a comprehensive resource guide for the OU community with information on resources for undocumented students and how faculty and staff can support these students.
“The funding program has helped me keep a peace of mind knowing that I will be paid for my labor,” said Alvarado. “It reminds me that OU keeps in mind its undocumented students when trying to find opportunities and resources for its students to help them gain experience.”
Oglethorpe hopes to continue building on this internship program so Dream.US scholars have a variety of options and resources. Dye shared that this year will be the biggest group of Dream.US graduates and looks forward to having a robust alumni network of undocumented students.
For more information about TheDream.US internship funding program and Paul Hackett Internship Scholarship, reach out to Dr. Lisa Conley or Peter Dye.
