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Menschel Internship Opportunities

The Menschel Cornell Commitment Public Service Internship program is designed to encourage students to intern at a non-profit organization, offering their skills to help the organization, while broadening their own career horizons.  Interns can work in a multitude of positions in a vast array of domestic, non-profit and public service organizations.

The Cornell Commitment actively promotes internship opportunities from non-profit and public service organizations. These summer opportunities are shared with Cornell Tradition, Meinig, and Rawlings students weekly during the spring semester in announcements.  In addition, students who have participated in Menschel internships are invited to attend a luncheon with an Ithaca community member who is engaged in non-profit and public service work.

Below are a selection of Menschel student internships. Current students are encouraged to apply for summer internships at these organizations. If students are seeking other ideas, please reach out to Cornell Career Services, or to Jacinta Stark at jj87@cornell.edu

  • 826 Chicago (826CHI)
    • 826CHI is a non-profit creative writing, tutoring, and publishing center dedicated to amplifying the voices of Chicago youth. Various internship opportunities are available in different focus areas such as Education, Non-profit Management, and Public Relations. Interns are supervised by an 826CHI staff member, participate in all aspects of 826CHI and have the opportunity to conduct individual projects based on personal skills and interests. 
  • Chautauqua County Department of Environmental Health
    • The Environmental Health Division houses many different programs. These programs evaluate and regulate the surrounding in which people live, work, and recreate. Many of the programs require staff to regulate certain facilities such as restaurants, public pools and beaches, public water supplies, hotels /motels, campgrounds, children's camps, mobile home parks, private sewage systems, and commercial sewage systems. Internship responsibilities vary according to sector. 
  • El Taller Latino Americano
    • El Taller Latino Americano is a community-based non-profit arts and education institution founded in New York City in 1979 to bridge the gap between Latin Americans and North Americans through the language of art, dance and music. El Taller welcomes undergraduate and graduate students of all backgrounds to join their team. During a typical Internship at El Taller, students are exposed to all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running a non-profit arts organization in New York City from helping to run concerts, gallery openings, and cultural workshops. 
  • The Friends of Governor’s Island
    • The Friends of Governors Island was founded in 1995 as the Governors Island Alliance to advocate for the return of Governors Island to the people of New York. The organization’s goal of redeveloping the former military base as a great civic space was the basis for the 2003 transfer of the Island from the Federal Government to New York and the National Park Service. The Governors Island Alliance became an independent nonprofit in late 2014 and changed its name to the Friends of Governors Island in 2016. Intern join our team and increase our capacity in the areas of research, event coordination and external communications. This is an excellent opportunity to gain broad exposure to all aspects of nonprofit operations at a dynamic public space and cultural hub in New York City. 
  • The High Road Summer Fellowship
    • The High Road Fellowship is a summer opportunity in Buffalo open to Cornell undergraduates interested in grassroots democracy and how individuals can create a more equitable economy.  Students gain hands-on experience working with organizations in the vital nonprofit and government sectors of the economy where job creation, neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing and the greening of the economy are everyday reality.  In addition to their project work with partner organizations, students engage in skill-building and urban immersion opportunities.  The program is for eight weeks in June and July and Fellows earn a living wage over the course of the summer.
  • Mount Sinai in Division of Medical Genetics
    • The Mount Sinai Division of Medical Genetics specializes in the screening, diagnosis, treatment and research of patients with or suspected of having genetic diseases. The Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences is one of the largest in the country dedicated to the understanding, prevention, treatment, and cure of genetic diseases.   Interns are treated as staff members throughout their internships. They complete meaningful projects, attend meetings, offer insight when appropriate, and maintain a high level of professionalism. Programs interns typically pursue courses of study in fields related to genetics and autism (biology, chemistry, social sciences, psychology, etc).  However, college students and recent graduates with any major may apply. Experience with graphic design preferred. 
  • Museum of the City of New York
    • The Museum of the City of New York celebrates and interprets the city, educating the public about its distinctive character, especially its heritage of diversity. The Museum offers a variety of summer internships for college students. Acceptance into the internship program is based on academic achievement, interests, experience, and availability. Applications are rolling. Time commitments are flexible and dependent on the Museum’s needs. Internships are available with collections, digital projects, graphic design, IT, marking and communications, and public programs. 
  • New England Wildlife Center
    • The primary mission of the New England Wildlife Center is to promote positive values, behaviors and policies toward wildlife and the environment through the medical care and rehabilitation of, education about and humane research into native and naturalized wild animals and exotic pets. Interns assist hospital staff with all of the day-to-day operations within both the Wildlife Clinic and the Odd Pet Vet (exotic pet practice). Additionally, interns are involved hands-on with everything from making food plates to assisting in surgical procedures to going out on educational programs. 
  • New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
    • NYC Parks is the steward of more than 30,000 acres of land — 14 percent of New York City — including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets.  We are New York City's principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and programs. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals. We offer a variety of internships in various departments within NYC Parks.