Summer internships spent making an impact

Richmond students were on the move this summer.

One studied funerary monuments by Michelangelo in Italy. Another taught Nepali elementary school students about nutrition and hygiene. They worked with U.S. senators and representatives, in leading health care science labs, for a Los Angeles art gallery, and inside the front office of the Philadelphia Phillies.

All described their experience as impactful, whether it reinforced the path they were on or introduced a wholly unexpected direction.

“I learned how important it is to be open to people, to opportunities, to the world,” said senior Jason Latina, who applied what he learned in business classes to reviewing project proposals that support Iceland’s ocean-based economy.

These experiences — which can lay the groundwork for students’ professional goals and graduate study — were supported by funding from UR Summer Fellowships. Through the Richmond Guarantee, every undergraduate student is eligible for funding to support an unpaid or underpaid summer internship or faculty- mentored research project. The maximum amount will rise to $5,300 for the summer of 2026.

URSFs are also an avenue for alumni to tap into the Spider network. Rider Tuff, ’21, and Eric Gonzalez, ’21, hired Liam Nyland, ’28, to help expand the wholesale side of their patent artwork business.

“Liam owned this side of the business and learned it as an end-to-end process rather than just being told what to do,” Tuff said.