Eric Richardson, President, Eugene/Springfield NAACP, Senator Peter Defazio and Bailey Adam, LEI participant
The Leadership Enrichment Internship (LEI) is a paid mentored internship experience enhanced with professional development, career advisement, networking opportunities and real-life experience for students with diverse academic interests whose backgrounds are currently underrepresented in such careers. : The program was first piloted in spring of 2016 and with additional funding we are pleased to announce its return in spring 2021 in a virtual format.
The LEI is a collaborative effort: campus and community units/organizations provide the internship experience and mentorship capacity, UO departments such as the Career Center and the Holden Center provide enrichment opportunities focused on professional development, career advisement and networking, and the Division of Equity and Inclusion (DEI) funds these internship opportunities to support leadership development for underrepresented UO students.
Student Application Employer Application
Student Responsibilities:
Attend LEI cohort meetings for collaborative professional development and networking opportunities (meetings are paid work hours).
Meeting with your internship sponsor (employer) to jointly determine the content and structure of work placement and responsibilities. The work should maximize your transferable skills and knowledge base, as well as develop goals to help you cultivate new skills.
- Prompt response to any communication or requests from the LEI Internship Coordinator and/or the hiring unit/organization.
Student Qualifications and Expectations:
Qualified applicants are UO undergraduate students enrolled in a minimum of 8 credits who have:
- A 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher at the time of application. Students with GPAs below a 2.5 or on academic probation are eligible, but will be required to develop an academic success plan with an advisor in the Center for Multicultural and Academic Excellence.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- An interest in positively engaging with on- and off-campus staff members and developing new skills.
- The ability to work effectively in teams and independently.
- A commitment to promoting equity and inclusion during internship placement.
- A successful candidate should possess the specific skills and qualifications of the placement they are applying to (Please refer to list of open placements at the LEI homepage).
- Satisfactory completion of the application and a face-to-face interview with LEI staff and internship employer.
Student Pay and Benefits:
This is a paid position ($12/hr. for up to 10 hrs. per week). The internship pay will be covered by a grant from DEI.
Direct access to an employer mentor and professional networking in the workplace.
- Interns will participate in professional development workshops and training. Past workshops have covered topics such as interpersonal and communication skills, microaggressions and implicit bias, mental health and leadership, and networking in a digital environment.
Past and Current Internship Sponsors:
- Equity Community Consortium (ECC)
- Eugene-Springfield NAACP
- Mobility International USA
- UO Athletics
- LatinX Strategies
- Downtown Languages
- UO Dept. of Architecture
- NW Indian Language Institute
- Black Strategies
- University Housing
- Coalition for Allyship and Engagement
- UO Innovation & Partnership Services
- Oregon Federal Courts
- Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
Employers who are interested in sponsoring a student intern should email deicace@uoregon.edu for more information
LEI Capstone Dinner hosted by CaCE
June 6 2019 | 6-7:30pm | Crater Lake North EMU
The LEI presentation is an opportunity for students and employers to share their internship experience with fellow LEI Interns, other LEI partners, DEI, future employers, and additional stakeholders. It also provides a way to assess the overall internship course, specific sites, and site supervisors for the enhancement of the program. The goal of the presentation is to showcase the experiences and learning from each internship and inform future directions of the internship program.