By Emily Glory Peters
Unpaid internships: a mixed blessing of work experience without compensation that continues to plague the early career landscape for college students. Still, their prevalence hasn鈥檛 stopped Scripps students, 80 percent of whom complete at least one internship before graduating.
It鈥檚 a striking statistic for a liberal arts women鈥檚 college which, while known for graduating spectacular critical thinkers, may have less obvious career outcomes. Yet these concrete outcomes exist, often tied directly to internship grants which create a more equitable playing field for students who don鈥檛 have the financial means to accept unpaid work. With support from Scripps donors, more of them are able to say 鈥測es鈥� to any opportunity鈥攔egardless of pay鈥攁nd accelerate their careers.
Scaling internship experiences
Claire Pukszta 鈥�19, current content planning associate with Disney+, was just one of those students.
鈥淚 absolutely wouldn鈥檛 be where I am today without internships,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ot because it鈥檚 just an important part of getting into my industry, but I grew so much as a person in figuring out how to move to a city, work full time鈥擨 was able to do that because I had Scripps behind me.鈥�
A self-described theater kid, media studies major Pukszta enjoyed entertainment but was unsure of her preferred career path until she participated in a Career Exploration Trek through Scripps鈥� Office of Career Planning & Development (CP&R) her sophomore year. Though she had completed an internship at the Bowers Museum the summer prior, meeting entertainment professionals in Los Angeles during the trek inspired her to pursue work in that field. Ultimately, she completed no fewer than five additional internships鈥攚ith two funded by grants.
鈥淢any internships offer school credit鈥攂ut you can鈥檛 eat school credit,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he grant support I received from the Scripps community gave me a way to stay in the hub of my industry and help cover basics like meals and housing.鈥�
Pukszta gained exposure working everywhere from production studios to video game companies, ultimately connecting with the Walt Disney Company. Along with this hands-on work experience, she says, grants opened opportunities to build key relationships.
鈥淚 networked the heck out of every internship I had, which led to actual career growth. The job I have today was through a Pomona alum who became my boss for over a year!鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 so appreciative of the broader Scripps community not just for funding many of these opportunities, but providing me with wisdom along the way.鈥�
Internship grants open experiences across career fields
Like Pukszta, economics and politics major Minjoo Kim 鈥�16 didn鈥檛 have set career ambitions prior to coming to Scripps鈥攂ut was eager to explore avenues in finance. Intrigued by real estate but equipped with fewer alumnae connections in that area, Kim turned to internships to forge her way.
鈥淚t鈥檚 essential to have internship experience in today鈥檚 competitive job market. It really builds the foundation of your professional network, whether you remain in that field or not, 鈥� says Kim. As an international student, she also faced unique challenges in securing employment in California, making internships all the more critical. A grant supported her first one with commercial real estate firm Lee & Associates in Pasadena, underpinning her future success.
鈥淕etting that initial internship on my r茅sum茅 was the most important, as I became less intimidated to go after other roles within real estate,鈥� explains Kim, who today works with global investment firm Oaktree Capital Management.聽 鈥淲ithout a grant, I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to take that first opportunity. It led to my second and third internships, and ultimately a full-time position鈥攊t really launched my career.鈥�
Scripps community key to building positive career outcomes for alums
Scripps donors have been quietly funding these unpaid experiences for years. On average, shares Interim Director of CP&R Ashley Valdez, Scripps awards students between 60鈥�95 internship grants per year鈥攂ut receives applications for many more.
The increase in requests for funding unpaid internships underscores the need for ongoing grant support, he says. Plus, by giving, donors diversify the range of students entering the workforce and broadcast the prowess of a Scripps education to potential employers.
鈥淎t Scripps, students hone critical thinking, leadership, writing, and communication, all of which can be concretely applied in jobs and internships both in and outside the College,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hese are much-needed skills that liberal arts college graduates bring to the workplace.鈥�
In addition to interning, both Kim and Pukszta acknowledge the role critical thinking has played in their career growth鈥攁nd in true Scripps fashion, they鈥檙e helping others build similar strengths.
Kim not only leads as a member of Scripps鈥� young alum cabinet, but along with Pukszta recently participated as a mentor in Scripps鈥� inaugural . Pukszta was a featured panelist for CP&R鈥檚 鈥淗ow to Talk About Your Liberal Arts Degree鈥� in 2021 and, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, was slated to host Scripps students at Disney for another Career Exploration Trek. 聽Both encourage students to pursue internships and hope to see more women leverage their Scripps and 5C connections to break through professionally鈥攅specially in male-dominated fields like their own.
As recipients of internship grants, Kim and Pukszta can testify to the impact of generosity from the Scripps community. Sustaining continued partnership between donors and College, Kim notes, will be key to creating tangible career success for future students.
鈥淲hen I worked with The Scripps Fund as a student and spoke with donors, we鈥檇 stress the 鈥楾hree Ts鈥�: time, talent, and treasure. I give all three because I feel closely connected to the College鈥攁nd it benefits alums to enable students from our alma mater thrive and grow,鈥� she says. Pukszta agrees.
鈥淭here are so many ways, financial and otherwise, that alums and parents can help students鈥� future careers,鈥� she says. 鈥淓ven having a conversation with a current student about what you do can be extremely transforming to show them what鈥檚 possible.鈥�