Applications open for the veteran student undergraduate internship scholarship

The Office of Veterans and Military Affairs (OVMA) Undergraduate Internship Scholarship for Veterans Students is open for applications from October 1 to May 31. the summer semester. Veteran students can apply via handshake.

This is a price based on need. Applications will be assessed based on the impact of the requested funds on a veteran student’s ability to participate in the internship. The prize can help offset travel costs, living expenses, or tuition.

First-ever winner, Dustin Hall, said the veteran undergraduate student internship award allowed him to participate in an internship last summer with OneGroup, a risk management, insurance brokerage and leading social benefits. “As a veteran student, we are not the typical college age students,” Hall says. “When I was looking for internships, I found a lot of great opportunities. However, I have bills and it was actually a challenge to find an internship where I could manage during the summer.

Hall says the price “changed the game.” “Not only was I getting college credit, but I was also getting funds that could support me during the two and a half months of the internship,” says Hall. The award took away the complexity of having a second job to supplement one’s income. “I was able not to be so stressed about the money and just focus on the internship experience and making connections. “

Hall says OneGroup recognized what he could bring with his military background, especially with his strict attention to detail learned in the Navy. He was an aviation boatswain’s mate on the USS Theodore Roosevelt and later on the USS George Washington. “I would call it a mid-career internship,” he says. “You don’t just do basic things for the interns. In fact, they give you real problems that the business is facing.

The OVMA created the Internship Award in 2020 to remove financial barriers that prevent veteran students from participating in internships. Jennifer Pluta, Deputy Director of Veteran Career Services, first looked at veteran students at the University and found that only 6-8% of the undergraduate population attended summer internships. This was a concern as OVMA’s mission is to help veteran students find the right jobs after graduation and internships are a crucial part of their job search.

As a result of these results, the OVMA Veteran Undergraduate Student Internship Award was created and open to all full-time and part-time veteran undergraduate students. The annual award provides financial assistance to veteran undergraduate students during the summer semester, when internships are most prevalent.

“Most traditional students can go home during the summer,” Pluta explains. “But for many veteran students, there is no going home. They might already have a family and have to pay rent, utilities, and food, and since unpaid internships are common, you can see why a veteran is less likely to intern.

Pluta says the main reason veteran students go to college, rather than directly entering the workforce, is to earn a degree to start a new career. “By providing financial assistance for internships, we are supporting the career path of veteran students to employment,” he says.

The OVMA’s veteran undergraduate student internship award was just the first step for Hall. OneGroup invited him to continue working throughout the semester. “OneGroup immediately embraced me and invited me to charity events. Not only was I able to see it from OneGroup’s perspective in terms of interacting with our customers and the community, but I was able to meet a ton of connections, ”says Hall. “Now that I have graduated this fall, I have people telling me that they have heard that I am looking for a job. Ask me to send my application. It’s the coolest feeling.

For any questions, send an email to Pluta at [email protected]. For those who would like to learn more about how to make an impact on the life of a veteran student by providing the financial means for an internship, visit the site Veterans Fund webpage.