Grants & Fellowships > For Stanford Students

Monica Miller Walsh Undergraduate Summer Internship Grants

Application Criteria

These awards of up to $3,000 are available to Stanford undergraduate students wishing to undertake an independent internship in Latin America. A limited number of additional summer savings offsets are available upon special application for students with demonstrated financial need.

Timing

Grants are generally dispensed for summer projects, but may be considered for alternative timing as well.

Eligibility

Students must be undergraduates in good standing at Stanford with well-defined internship proposals with an organization or business in Latin America.

Students are eligible to receive funding only if they will be enrolling as undergraduates (preferred) or coterminal students at Stanford campus for at least one quarter after returning from abroad.

Internships must be for at least six weeks.

Preference will be given to proposals for internships arranged independently and directly with a foreign-based organization, rather than through a large international internship company.

Note: This funding is not for independent research projects. For a project that is strictly research-oriented and does not involve meeting the needs of an organization or business in Latin America, students are encouraged to apply for funding through Undergraduate Research Programs.

Language Prerequisite

Working knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese (depending on destination country) required.

Application Process

Applicants should submit the following materials:

A statement of purpose, including applicant's background/interest in Latin America and a proposal outlining the internship to be undertaken
Itemized budget outlining how funds will be used and, if applicable, disclosing any other ouside funding sought
A completed application form (download here)
Two letters of recommendation
An unofficial transcript of Stanford courses
Evidence of formal arrangements with an organization (email from organization director/manager is acceptable)

Grant Reporting Responsibilities

The grant recipient must attend an orientation meeting before traveling abroad, complete a short report (2-3 pages) midway through their experience abroad, complete a final narrative report (5-7 pages) and final financial report (1-2 pages) after returning to the United States, and participate in a public presentation regarding their internship.

Selection Criteria

Applications are reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee of faculty members affiliated with the Center for Latin American Studies.

Application deadline: Friday, April 2, 2010

*These awards are made possible by the Monica Miller Walsh Undergraduate Summer Internship Fund.

Volunteer and Internship Opportunities in Latin America

2009 Grant Recipients

Jessica Hinojosa
Fauna Forever Tambopata (Madre de Dios rainforest, Peru)

“While hammering down my hypotheses and methods in the Madre de Dios region of southeastern Peru, I slowly fell in love with more than experiments—I fell in love with the cumbia, and the lomo saltado, and the local artesanía.”

Leah Karlins
Microfinanzas PRISMA (Lima, Peru)

“[T]his internship gave me an invaluable opportunity to learn about microfinance, international development, NGOs, and Peruvian culture. It was definitely the adventure of a lifetime.”

Quynh Nguyen
Roatan Volunteer Pediatric Clinic (Roatan, Honduras)

“[F]rom the hardworking people I have met and the inspiring lessons I have learned, I feel motivated to continue pursuing medicine and discover new ways to promote health and treat, as well as prevent, diseases for people in developing countries.”

Ardalan Tajalli
Acción Emprendedora (Chile)

“[T]he whole summer was a success. […] I learned so much […] and all of the skills and analytic insight I picked up over this summer will help me tremendously on future projects.”