The student-led, non-partisan Arizona Students’ Association works to actively empower the student voice, create concrete change, and advocate for student issues by developing student leaders; initiating and executing grassroots campaigns; raising awareness; creating a firm foundation on our stances through proper research; and engaging our government officials at a local, state, and national level.
Internship Available
- Summer - Apply 2 weeks before the Summer session
- Fall - Apply 3 weeks before the first day of Classes
- Spring - Apply 3 weeks before the first day of Classes
Internship Description (Paid)
Fellows will attend a weekly 2 hours in person course with their Regional Director to further develop their leadership skills on topics including: recruitment, lobbying, working with the media, visibility, leadership development, managing and motivating volunteers, and running effective meetings. Students will also be briefed on relevant topics that may include: Arizona Politics, the Arizona Board of Regents, the National Political Landscape, Textbooks, Financial Aid, Student Debt, and Student Advocacy across the Country.
In addition to the 2 hours above, each fellow at the start of the semester will establish 8 set hours that they will work each week on ASA priorities. During this time each fellow will work on ASA priorities; including tabling, class presentations, phone banks, database, meeting with other student organizations, etc.
As students work on ASA priorities, they will work with their Regional Director who will advise them on a final project that they will present at the end of the semester/summer. Past final projects have included: developing and implementing a paid media plan for ASA, working with campus administration to enact a campus holiday on Election Day, organizing rallies with coalition partners to raise awareness for a variety of social justice issues.
Fellows who complete the first half of a semester-long internship will receive $300. Fellows who complete the second half of a semester-long internship will receive an additional $300 for a maximum of $600 per semester. Summer Fellows will work hourly for 10 hours a week at $20 per hour for 8 weeks (a total of $1,600 over the summer).
Purpose of the Internship
The ASA Fellowship program was established to provide students with an opportunity to work and learn in a hands-on environment while earning course credit. Fellows work throughout the semester (or summer) on developing skills in lobbying, grassroots organizing, messaging, strategy, campaign planning, and event planning. Students will also further develop their personal leadership skills in the areas of public speaking, political astuteness, writing, and public relations. The objectives of the fellowship include:
- The ability to work well in teams—especially with people different from yourself
- An understanding of technology and how it is used in real-world settings
- The ability to write and speak well
- The ability to think clearly about complex problems
- The ability to analyze a problem to develop workable solutions
- An understanding of global context in which work is now done
- The ability to be creative and innovative in solving problems
- The ability to apply knowledge and skills in new settings
- The ability to understand numbers and statistics
- A strong sense of ethics and integrity
Additional Information:
During the Spring semester, we encourage Fellows to join us at our annual Youth Empowerment Summit.
- The mission of this summit is to give university and community college students from across Arizona an opportunity to learn and work on issues impacting Higher Education.
- This is a 3 day long event held in Phoenix; all expenses such as gas and hotel are covered by ASA.
- First, students will learn about the history of student movements and the work ASA has done fighting for affordable & accessible higher education. They will also hear from a panel of ASA alumni who hold various positions in the movement space, including non-profit executive directors and elected officials. Next, students will learn about legislation impacting higher education introduced earlier during the state legislative session. They will be trained on how to lobby their elected officials for/against legislation. Lastly, on the third day students will go to the state Capitol and meet directly with their representatives and senators to advocate on behalf of college students across Arizona.
During the Fall semester, we encourage Fellows to join us at our annual Arizona Student Voting Summit.
- The mission of this summit is to host an environment where students can learn from their peers, community organizations, create their own toolkits of civic engagement, and attend community and student lead panels.
- This is a 2 day long event held in Phoenix; all expenses such as gas and hotel are covered by ASA.
On the second day, colleges and universities from across Arizona will organize teams to participate in the Democracy Shark Tank – An interactive competition that allows participants to put the skills learned earlier in the day into action. The campus teams' will develop ideas and plan to support student voter engagement in the 2024 election, and then they will then pitch those ideas to a panel of “Sharks”.
How to Apply
Email Cover Letter & Resume to fellowship@azstudents.org
We will contact you via email within two business days after you have submitted your application if you have been selected to participate in an interview.
For questions please contact Kyle Nitschke (Co-Executive Director) at fellowship@azstudents.org regarding non-Southern AZ questions, or Miranda Lopez (Southern AZ Regional Director) at miranda@azstudents.org regarding all Southern AZ questions.