The Public Interest Fellowship Program is exclusive to Colorado College students and sets undergrads up with paid summer and yearlong fellowships at non-profit organizations.
“Whether they’re interested in working in a non-profit sector down the road, or interested in an area like environmental improvement or education, it’s a great way for our students on campus to get a taste for the non-profit sector,” said PIFP director, Lani Hinkle.
Why non-profit organizations? “There are a lot of other ways in which you can find your way into for-profit work,” said Hinkle. “Non-profit organizations hold a big chunk of the economic picture and are more accessible and hands-on. When working at a government agency, for example, it could take years before you get to do real hands-on work.”
Going through the PIFP program helps CC students and graduates develop interests and find jobs that give them experience a cut above most entry-level positions.
“We’ve been working with the partner organizations for many years, so the jobs have a lot of meat to them,” said Hinkle. “You won’t be stuck filing papers or getting coffee.”
PIFP has worked with 69 partner organizations and has placed 275 fellows. The year-long PIFP program has employed almost 5 percent of CC’s graduating classes over the past two years, and about 23 percent of PIFP fellows have been hired to stay with their organizations after their fellowship finishes.
Duy Pham ‘15 participated in a summer fellowship at the Bell Policy Center in Denver. Interested in the study of public policy, he says that the fellowship was a great opportunity for me to work in the industry without a tremendous amount of pressure. It felt like a learning experience.
Pham also notes that the program gives students the chance to adapt mentors with networking opportunities. The program paired Pham with a mentor he’s grown very close to. He’s also developed relationships with some of his co-workers.
Pham confirms that even students who are deciding between three different majors can benefit from the program.
“Everyone tells you that it’s important to try out as many things as possible, so you can figure out what you like and don’t like,” said Pham. “The three-month summer internship is a good amount of time to gauge your interest and see if you want to move forward with it.”
Following their fellowships, students can bring what they learned from their experience with PIFP and share that knowledge with their classmates, and use it in thesis work.
The experience also helps students understand the significance of what they are learning in the classroom.
“We had a summer fellow, senior Megan Gillespie, who was working on data analysis at the Gill Foundation, one of the leading funders of efforts to secure full equality for the LGBT community,” said Hinkle. “Data analysis can seem tedious in a classroom setting, but during her fellowship, the Supreme Court made its decision about same-sex marriage, and suddenly, all that statistical analysis made sense. It supported something that actually happened.”
“Yes, PIFP is competitive, but it’s probably less competitive than other public service opportunities that are offered to everyone,” said Hinkle.
And it’s worth it. Leaving the CC bubble and straying from the Block Plan into the real world is a big adjustment. The support from personal mentors and other classmates can help ease the bumpy transition.
Annie Engen
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