Stanford programs aid in underclassmen’s search for summer opportunities

With winter quarter in full swing, many underclassmen are balancing midterms with another priority — securing entry-level summer internships, fellowships and research opportunities.

Stanford supports students in this search through a combination of funding programs and experiential-learning initiatives encompassing fields ranging from public service to technology and the humanities.

“Freshman year, I just had no idea what I was doing. I knew I wanted to be on the pre-med track, but I don’t think I really knew what that meant,” said Sofia Furbeck ’27, one of Cardinal Quarter’s peer advisors. “My Cardinal Quarter experience exposed me to a wide range of things you can do ranging from public service to education.” 

Cardinal Quarter, administered by the Haas Center for Public Service, connects students with campus and community partners for paid public service opportunities during the summer and throughout the academic year. 

Princess Awambu ’28, who applied to Cardinal Quarter last year, wrote to The Daily that “the application process was pretty simple.” “I simply had to express my interest and why I wanted the fellowship,” wrote Awambu. 

Awambu said her interest in tutoring children motivated her to apply for the Menlo-Atherton High Education Partnership Fellowship through Cardinal Quarter, which she completed last summer.

Liliana Karesh ’29, an applicant for this year’s Cardinal Quarter program, recently secured a summer position with Climate Resilient Communities.

She will work on proposing policy recommendations and supporting resident-led governance and civic engagement efforts in the Bay Area. Cardinal Quarter will provide her the funding and resources necessary to complete the fellowship. 

“I think the application is very approachable, and it’s not too daunting,” Karesh said. “I also thought it was relatively easy for me to get the organization because I’ve had a prior connection with them.”

In addition to public service opportunities, Stanford runs undergraduate summer programs that focus on academic enrichment and interdisciplinary study. For example, Sophomore College (SoCo) is an immersive three-week summer program in September for rising sophomores built on individualized mentorship, offering hands-on learning experiences in places from Alaska to Hawaii and connections that grow into lasting friendships and communities.

“You can’t force mentorship, but you can create situations that encourage mentorship to blossom, and we design SoCo to foster those moments,” SoCo program director Dayo Mitchell wrote in an email to The Daily. 

These mentorship moments have taken many forms, according to Mitchell, from helping students feel a sense of belonging at Stanford to influencing long-term academic and career goals.

“There was a transfer student, an older parent, who said his SoCo class is the reason he decided to stay at Stanford — it made him feel at home here,” Mitchell said. “Another student asked her SoCo professor about what it’s like to be a professor on the bus back from a field trip, and now she’s starting a Ph.D. program.” 

Edwin Hernandez ’29 is looking forward to applying for SoCo in the coming weeks.

“When I opened [the SoCo website], I saw all the different ways you can engage with your field of study outside the classroom and possibilities to explore your passions with engaging and hands-on courses,” Hernandez wrote to The Daily. “I had looked into one about energy in Hawaii, and I look forward to the moment I get to apply!”

Stanford in Government (SIG) provides pathways into government and public policy through its dedicated fellowship programs.

“SIG’s mission, outlined on our website, is to create a culture of civic and political engagement on the Stanford campus by offering opportunities for Stanford students to engage with and pursue policy as public service,” wrote Tracy Nguyen ’25 M.A. ’26, SIG’s Vice Chair of Fellowships and Stipends, in an email to The Daily.

SIG offers nine-week fellowships where fellows are tasked with conducting policy research for publication, supporting executive leadership teams on cross-department projects and providing support for events and conferences with global leaders in their respective fields.

“SIG’s Fellowship and Stipends program is distinctive for how deeply it engages and challenges students, offering real opportunities to make a meaningful contribution to public policy,” Nguyen wrote. 

With application deadlines for programs continuing throughout the quarter, students can actively engage with a range of campus programs and external organizations as they finalize summer plans.

“Learning beyond the classroom helps students understand what a topic is really like on the ground,” Mitchell said. “It [has] helped students decide to go into a particular field [and] introduced them to contacts that later evolve into internships.”

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