Overview
Location: Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL, or New York City, NY
Employment Type: Full-Time, Temporary, Non-Exempt
Compensation: $18/hour (40 hours per week)
The Organization:
At Thrive Scholars, we provide high-achieving, diverse, and underrepresented students, including students of color from under-resourced communities, the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges and in meaningful careers.
Our comprehensive and data-driven program model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in any career. Thrive Scholars originated in Los Angeles as South Central Scholars (“SCS”) twenty years ago. Over this time, the organization has refined its program model and, in the last five years, has focused on expanding nationally; reaching more high-achieving underrepresented students, growing the number of Scholars we serve; and deepening our program impact. Thrive Scholars has begun to grow its footprint with new summer program offerings in three additional cities, with more to come. The organization has approximately 75 year-round employees and close to 200 summer employees.
The Program:
Summer Academy has long been the keystone of Thrive Scholars’ Six-Year Program, offering a signature summer experience through intensive college-preparatory courses taught by college instructors. Thrive’s current strategic direction builds on the success of Summer Academy to expand our impact by establishing community-based Thrive Academies in cities across the United States. We launched our first two Thrive Academies as commuter programs in Los Angeles and New York City in 2024 while simultaneously continuing to offer the residential Summer Academies for Scholars who are part of our Six-Year Program. We are gearing up to open a third Thrive Academy in Chicago and expect to continue extending our reach to other cities in the coming years.
The Students:
Our students are high-achieving and identify as underrepresented, including first-generation college-goers, students of color, and those from under-resourced communities, with an average high school GPA of 3.9 on a 4.0 scale. They are eager to learn, inquisitive, and highly motivated to succeed. In general, they see themselves as good students who perform well in school and are determined to live up to that expectation. Students in SA 1/TA 1 are rising high school seniors, while students in SA 2/TA 2 are rising college first-years.
The Position:
As a Thrive intern, you will get first hand experience learning the ins and outs of running a college prep program with multiple locations across the country. You’ll have the opportunity to work across departments, brainstorm and spearhead projects and take them from idea to fruition. Along the way you’ll receive mentoring from your colleagues and other professionals in our networks. With support from the Director of Academies and Program Operations Managers, the intern will be responsible for supporting the Academies team with day to day administrative tasks leading up to Thrive Academy, supporting pre-departure needs of Scholars, and developing communication materials for Scholars, internal and external stakeholders.
University of Southern California
Tentative Dates – June 23rd – August 1st
Mercy University – Manhattan Campus
Tentative Dates: July 7th – August 15th
University of Chicago
Tentative Dates: June 30th – August 8th
The vast majority of work will take place in person, Monday through Friday. You are expected to take off at least one day per week from work. Should you need to log work hours on 7 consecutive days, you must get prior approval from your supervisor. Occasional weekend obligations may arise.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Attendance Management: Track scholar attendance, follow up, and organize attendance data.
- Logistical Support: Assist faculty and staff with daily operational tasks.
- Event Coordination: Support events like college tours and fairs.
- Community Engagement: Lead community-building activities and engage with scholars to ensure their needs are met.
- Data Management: Provide support in organizing attendance data systems.
- Communication Management: Maintain systems to facilitate communication with scholars and stakeholders.
- Administrative Support: Ensure smooth program operations through effective administrative assistance.
- Work closely with the Program Operations Manager of Academies and Site Leadership to support program objectives
Qualifications & Experience:
- Non-profit, education, or business internship experience; preferred
- Passion for working with and/or on behalf of low-income, first-generation students of color
- Detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills to collaborate with team members and correspond professionally with participants.
- Comfortable with changing priorities and able to handle unexpected challenges effectively.
- Collaborative attitude with a willingness to support various aspects of the program.
- Event planning experience
- Strong organizational skills and initiative
- Intellectual curiosity and an interest in learning about nonprofit management
- Understanding of and commitment to Thrive Scholars’ ‘North Star’: Economic Mobility. Please review our position statement on economic mobility here.
Working Environment & Physical Requirements:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a seasonal employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this role:
- Frequent sitting, talking and listening and occasional walking, bending, stooping, and pulling
- Handle and operate computers, tools or controls
- Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
- See clearly in an indoor and outdoor environment
- Work in an indoor classroom environment that may not have air conditioning in the summer
- Travel off campus (transportation will be provided and advance notice will be given if required)
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
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Thrive Scholars provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status. Knowing their importance to the success of our work, Thrive Scholars is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we aspire to build a diverse staff team and community. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.