E+I Fellows micro internships aid students, local organizations

Grove City College students can get valuable work experience under an innovative internship program that also seeks to benefit worthy, but resource-strapped, nonprofits, start-ups, and small businesses in Western Pennsylvania.

E+I Fellows is an initiative of the College’s Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation (E+I) that connects students with regional host organizations to design and execute micro internships. E+I will pay for the work the students do to help small operations, some launched by their peers, meet manpower demands, and contribute to the growth of these organizations. In the future, students may also be able to earn internship credits during their fellowship.

In the expanded pilot cohort launching this spring, E+I is partnering with several organizations and supplying them with student fellows to help advance their missions. E+I provides guidance for the host organizations and helps them create a project plan to maximize the value of the placement for both the organization and the students involved. There are also check-in meetings throughout the placement to ensure the best results for all involved. Special consideration for participation in the program is given to nonprofit and commercial entities that have a positive impact regionally through social innovation or economic opportunity.

“The E+I Fellows program is a unique opportunity for current students to hone their skills, build their resume, and support amazing organizations vetted by E+I,” said Yvonne J. English ’97, professor of practice and executive director of E+I. “Students will also gain an appreciation of the problems and issues faced by nonprofits, startups, and small businesses locally and will contribute by strengthening the regional economy and advancing the common good in the surrounding area.”

E+I Fellows was first piloted as an internal program that had eight students working with Resense, a student startup participating in E+I’s VentureLaunch program. VentureLaunch is designed to help small, student-run businesses scale and reach their fullest potential. The success of that initiative led E+I to expand the program to include other student ventures and now, regional organizations that often have scarce resources and are not able to hire traditional interns or employees to increase capacity and continue to grow.

"The E+I Fellows program was the foundation that allowed our entire company to come together,” said Justin DeMild ’24, Founder, Athletes After, a college recruitment tool for high school football players.

"These micro-internships will help local organizations increase their capacity and chances of success, as students gain real work experience in their disciplines and make connections that may lead to future job opportunities," said Emma OToole ‘23, E+I Community Manager and organizer of the E+I Fellows Program.

E+I Fellows is funded by a grant from The Richard King Mellon Foundation and an anonymous donor.

For more information on the program including the host organization application process, program structure, and timelines, please visit gccentrepreneurship.com/host-organizations/.

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