Let’s Talk Summer: Internships, Research, and More!
With summer just around the corner, it’s never too early to explore the incredible opportunities available to Barnard students - both on and off campus! Below, I’ve highlighted a few exciting programs you might want to keep on your radar:
First up, The Athena Advocacy Institute:
The Athena Advocacy Institute is a fellowship offered through the Athena Center for Leadership! I participated in this fellowship this past summer. The fellowship requires you to intern with any nonprofit organization in New York City that relates to advocacy. The fellowship provides free on-campus housing for the summer, a stipend, and weekly dinners with other participants in the program that also includes professional development workshops and discussions, and with all this, you build great connections with peers with similar interests! I interned with a nonprofit in Astoria, Queens called The Center for Integration and Advancement of New Americans (CIANA). CIANA works with immigrant and refugee communities to help them resettle in a new country. I worked on two projects during my summer internship: I managed their new refugee resettlement program and a fundraising campaign in partnership with the New York Liberty basketball team at Barclays Center. I had a very fulfilling experience working at CIANA and I am so glad I had the support of Athena by my side!
Next up is the Beyond Barnard Summer Internship program:
The Beyond Barnard Internship Program (BBIP) is the College’s flagship internship program, providing funding and supportive programming to help with unpaid or low-pay internships - you also have access to a network of previous program participants, and subsidized summer on-campus housing for those interning in New York City. You don’t have to have a confirmed internship at the time of submitting your application! Click here for more information about the Beyond Barnard Internship Program (BBIP). Note that you can intern at any organization of your choice to participate in the BBIP program (in NYC and beyond) but most students decide to stay in the city (because summer in NYC is just that great!)
Interested in STEM research? Then we have the Summer Research Institute for you!
The Summer Research Institute (SRI) provides summer funding, subsidized campus housing, and supportive programming for current Barnard students conducting STEM research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. The summer concludes with an amazing poster session, where students present the research they completed over the summer! It’s super cool to see everyone’s work and the wide range of fields being researched - from psychology to computer science to chemistry to astronomy and more!
Summer class sessions: We also have a variety of summer courses, perfect if you’re looking to get ahead on credits/major or minor requirements or simply take a course that interests you. A few exciting options this year include:
An architecture design studio, which architecture majors can use to fulfill a studio requirement
A smartphone photography course offered by the Art History department, exploring both creative and technical approaches to mobile photography (if you want to learn how to take better photos on your phone, this course sounds like the perfect fit for you!)
View the full list of summer 2025 courses here. Summer classes are split into two sessions, for 2025, the schedule is as follows:
Session A: May 26 - July 3
Session B: July 7 - August 15
These courses are open to visiting students from other colleges/universities as well, so if you’re considering applying to Barnard as a transfer student, taking a summer course is a great way to experience life in a Barnard classroom - register here!
Finally, I will highlight the fellowship I will be doing this summer, also offered by the Athena Center for Leadership! The Williams Program for Women in Politics is a summer fellowship that provides a stipend, weekly virtual check-in meetings for fellows, and meetings with guest experts. This program is designed for students who are interested in exploring government as an avenue and policy as a tool for tackling the most difficult challenges. I will be in the city interning for a government office (I have not decided where just yet!) but I am so excited for the skills and experiences I will gain this summer!
These are just a few of the summer programs Barnard offers to help students gain new skills and experiences - whether on campus, across NYC, or beyond. No matter your interests, there’s something for everyone! You can learn more about summer programming here!