For African-American women college students planning to intern in Washington, DC this fall, the Black Girl 44 Scholarship can be what makes the dream come true. This scholarship is making DC internships accessible.

Created by former Obama White House alum, Deesha Dyer, The Black Girl 44 Scholarship will award three $1,500 scholarships to Black/African-American women college students who have earned a Washington, D.C. internship that relates to policy, community engagement, community service, advocacy, global relations or politics for Fall 2019.

This private and independent initiative is supported by contributions from more than 55 Black / African-American women who worked in the Obama White House.

Access and Opportunity in Internships

When I managed a DC/MD based non-profit internship program, one of the biggest hurdles to placing interns was the cost of affordable housing. Even with paid internships, the cost of short-term housing, AirBnB rentals or even university housing (for summer internships) makes interning in big cities expensive. This scholarship is shining a light on the issue and trying to make a difference.

Scholarship recipients will be chosen from an application process that runs from June 19 to August 10, 2019. Winners will be notified in August and they will receive their scholarship award at a September luncheon in Washington, D.C.

To find out if you qualify for the Black Girl 44 scholarship, check the details, https://www.blackgirl44.com/about

Internships Are the Gateway

For certain companies or industries, interning in a major metropolitan area is how students will break into the industry. Internships often serve as the gateway to careers on Wallstreet, in the entertainment world, professional sports and many other industries. Those industries are often ran from primarily major cities. For the students who don’t have the money to take an unpaid internship, or a paid internship in a city they can’t afford to live in, they are at a disadvantage.

Don’t shy away from applying to an internship because housing seems to be an issue. Apply, but then work your sources to find out where, how much and what is possible. If you never get the call for an interview, then you’ve done some research for another time. If you don’t even apply, you will never know. In my book, The Internship Manual, I detail step by step how to find housing in major cities for summer internships. For a quick read, check my blog post, I Got an Internship, Now I Need Housing to get you started first. Don’t let housing hold you back if there is a way for you to make your dream internship happen.