Paid Internship – Central Texas

A unique and immersive paid internship designed to provide undergraduate students in the COE the opportunity to study, live and work in one of the largest nonprofits in Central Texas.

Students accepted into the internship program will gain valuable, real-world experiences with the Boys and Girls Club of the Austin Area (BGCAA) during the Summer 2026 internship, working with BGCAA children and youth.

The HEHCTX summer internship requires full-time, in-person availability to live and work in the Austin area June 1-July 1, 2026.

Accepted students will receive notification of their status along with a confirmed list of required activities by Friday, March 13, 2026.

Students also will participate in required virtual and in-person preparation activities in April led by the HEHCTX Faculty Liaison. Interns will be asked to complete written assignments designed to reflect on their personal learning and career goals, as well as how the HEHCTX internship connects to them. All assignments must be completed by Thursday, July 9, 2026.

Students must live in the Austin area from Monday, June 1, 2026, through Wednesday, July 1, 2026. While dates and activities are still being finalized, the schedule likely will include:

Required BGCAA orientation: Starting on Monday, June 1, 2026, and running through Thursday, June 4, 2026.

Internship hours: Monday – Thursday from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and Fridays from approximately 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The BGCAA summer program offers hands-on, fun, creative adventures and team-building experiences that spark curiosity and connection.

Through skill-building activities and guided outdoor exploration, you will create opportunities for the youth in your group to grow in academic success, character and leadership, health and well-being, and life and workforce readiness.

Additionally, you will learn what it is like to manage and lead a large nonprofit organization through hands-on learning rotations through BGCAA’s key functional areas that support the direct service you are providing to youth.

HEHCTX interns are matched with a BGCAA Mentor Youth Development Professional (YDP) who will guide and support your work. Each Mentor YDP will provide accelerated learning tools and professional development to inform your work with youth in the summer camp setting. 

Your Mentor YDP will work with you to learn and ultimately deliver at least one program module on your own so that you have the experience of teaching content.

Through spring in-person orientation meetings and summer virtual meetings, a COE faculty liaison will guide HEHCTX Interns through required self-evaluations and other assignments. This will allow interns to reflect on HEHCTX experiences and ensure support throughout the internship. The designated faculty liaison will serve as a primary point of contact for any questions or issues that arise while in the workplace. BGCAA also will assign a designated liaison who will work closely with the faculty liaison to ensure interns have an outstanding experience.

No credit is given for the course.

Accepted students will register for EXP 000/080: Internships & Career Experiences, a free, zero-credit course offered through Texas Career Engagement to help students develop professional skills and identify personal career interests and preferences based on their experiences.

The course will show up on a UT Transcript. Taking this course provides students the option to maintain enrollment and access to UT Austin Libraries, ITS services, University Health Services and other University services.

The HEHCTX internship cannot be substituted for any other internship required by your major. This is a stand-alone experience. Please speak with an academic advisor in your department if you have questions about your path to graduation.

Students in the program will receive a $2,000 Dean’s Community Service Award stipend to significantly defray associated housing, meals and other internship costs.

Students will be employees of BGCAA at an hourly rate of $15/hour, earning approximately $2,092 for the five (5) weeks.

Up to 15 COE students will be accepted and placed at various BGCAA sites.

Eligible applicants must:

• Be a currently enrolled undergraduate student in the COE who has a second-year standing or higher and is not graduating in May 2026 with a minimum GPA of 2.5.
• Be available to live and work in Austin from Monday, June 1, 2026, through Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

The application opens on January 15. Eligible applicants will receive a personalized application link via email, and the opportunity also will be publicized via COE announcement channels. Be on the lookout for this unique learning/earning opportunity, exclusively for you!

Accepted applicants will be notified of their status no later than 5 p.m. Friday, March 13, 2026, and must confirm acceptance of placement by 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, 2026. All applicants will be notified of their status by Monday, March 23.

Admitted HEHCTX students will be employed by BGCAA, and as such will be required to complete a background check, including fingerprinting, and show proof of tuberculosis vaccination before June 1, 2026.

You do not need to have a car to participate. Admitted students will be matched with students who have a car to facilitate travel to one of four BGCAA assigned sites. Interns will be placed at the BGCAA Home Club Facility, a Manor location and two clubs located on the eastern crescent of Austin, focusing on high-opportunity areas.

Yes, students are welcome to apply to both programs; however, if accepted into HEH Harlingen, participation in this summer internship will take precedence. This allows students to have the opportunity to fully experience living and learning in a unique community environment.

Please email coe-hookem@utexas.edu for follow-up information.