This spring, the RGK Center awarded Nonprofit Scholarships to six students at the University of Texas at Austin who are completing unpaid internships with nonprofit organizations. The RGK Center is proud to support rising student leaders and their work with nonprofits across the globe. Learn more about each of our spring scholarship recipients and their internships below.  

Why were you inspired to pursue this internship? 

I was inspired to pursue this internship because of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation’s focus on how emerging technologies shape national security, democratic resilience, and global stability. As an international relations and policy student with a growing interest in cybersecurity and technology policy, I’m motivated by work that connects technical risk with real-world policy impact. CCTI’s research on cyber threats, digital authoritarianism, and critical infrastructure security reflects the kind of interdisciplinary, policy-relevant work I hope to pursue in my career, and I’m excited to contribute to research that helps policymakers protect open and secure societies in an increasingly contested digital environment.

Why were you inspired to pursue this internship?

As I work towards completing my dissertation fieldwork and have encountered numerous funding and research-based challenges grounded in political current shifts, I have found myself contemplating how and where I might best be able to engage in work that is as cross-cutting and impact driven as my work on youth wellbeing, caring pedagogy, psycho-emotional development, and community engagement. 

 

Having previously worked for the former Center for Teaching & Learning at UT and as a researcher in multiple community organizations, I knew that impact-driven pathways outside the traditional professoriate could be found if I opened my mind to spaces grounded in the same values as my own work. Considering the expanding need to address and combat disparities in wellbeing through scholarship unrestricted by political currents, the internship with the Center for Educational Improvement provided an ideal opportunity to work with an organization that prioritizes conducting human-centered research over political acquiescence, invests in implementing evidence-based community interventions, and is representative of the type of active-scholarship I previously believed was best done in a university setting.

Why were you inspired to pursue this internship?

As a dual-degree master’s student pursuing social work and business administration, Tejiendo Alianzas, a nonprofit that supports rural and Indigenous artisan businesses, felt like a natural fit. I was drawn to the opportunity to apply both social work values and business tools to support community partners in an international setting while prioritizing collaboration and local agency. This experience will help prepare me for a career in corporate philanthropy focused on creating sustainable impact by elevating community needs and building strong cross-sector partnerships

 

Savannah Miller

Internship: Search for Common Ground (Washington, D.C.)

Position: Global Program Development Intern 

Why were you inspired to pursue this internship?

My internship at Search for Common Ground is the perfect opportunity to pursue my interest in peace studies and reconciliation efforts and improve my writing skills. I am excited to contribute to their global development program team to learn more about how non-governmental organizations fundraise and partner with other civil society organizations, government agencies, and private donors. 

What drew you to this particular organization/role?

I pursued the Communications Fellowship at Transit Forward because it allows me to apply strategic, data-informed communications to public transportation advocacy—an issue that directly impacts equity and community mobility. The role drew me in for its focus on translating complex policy priorities into campaigns that mobilize real public engagement.

Why were you inspired to pursue this internship?

I was inspired to pursue an internship at The Arc of the Capital Area because of its mission to empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. My particular role allows me to use my background in business operations to support the nonprofit in creating a real, tangible impact.