Become an Intern

Each year, 50 students are selected to be a part of the Community Impact Internships Program. They work with approximately 40-50 different community organizations in Baltimore, totaling approximately 14,000 hours of community work. CIIP is an extremely competitive, paid internship, where students receive a salary of $4000. Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors of all majors are encouraged to apply. If you plan on taking a summer class, your CIIP experience is expected to be your main priority and permission to take a class must be given by the CIIP Coordinator prior to enrollment.

We hope you will consider becoming a part of this program. To learn more about our interns and our community partners, please view the 2018 CIIP program book (view digital version) or (PDF Document: view .pdf version). You can also check out our end of year overview or read more below.

“CIIP helped me view myself as a part of the Baltimore community. While growing as a scholar and professional, I looked around and quickly realized I was also growing as a human being. I never expected to leave this program with true friendship and relationships to the community.” – Lauren Ralph ’20, Public Health Studies Major, worked at the Franciscan Center in 2017.

In addition, read the JHU Hub article about sophomore Awoenam Mauna-Woanya’s summer working to combat food insecurities in communities with a lack of access to healthy food.

Why Should I Apply?

Our community partners are selected for this program based on their need for an intern, interactions with members of the community, and a focus on a specific program for you to work on throughout your internship. They are asked that no more than 15 percent of your work be on clerical duties, so you will gain a true immersive and intensive Baltimore based experience. During your weekly reflections, we hope you will utilize your classroom learning and reflect and process the impactful work that is done with your fellow interns. The Coordinator of the program works with our community partners and interns to create placements that will be mutually beneficial relationships. We have no doubt that this internship will provide you with a meaningful experience and hope that it will positively impact your journey at Hopkins and beyond!

Take for example Awoenam Mauna-Woanya, a previous CIIP intern who spent the summer of 2017 working alongside Black Food Security Network to combat food insecurity in communities with a lack of access to healthy food. Like many others, he found a cause he wanted to support directly, and got practical learning experience doing so. The Community Impact Internships Program strives to give each of its students that same inspiration and opportunities for growth as they connect them to an organization.

CIIP provides students the opportunity to gain hands on real life experience in a variety of fields. You will also:

• have the ability to live in Baltimore for the summer to learn and explore what the city has to offer.
• work with members of the community to work on the ground-level for real life problems.
• meet influential community leaders and listen to local renowned guest speakers who help address local issues.
• build your professional skills and experiences that can be added to your resume while expanding your professional network.
• have the opportunity to work on an internship project that is hand-selected to match your skills and interests.
• be a part of an intensive, cohort-based learning environment with weekly reflection sessions and presentations on Baltimore’s past and present.
• make a positive impact on our Baltimore City community.

Have questions? Contact Eli Lopatin, Assistant Director and CIIP Coordinator at the Center for Social Concern.