Location(s): Spring - Remote; Summer - Amherst, MA or Miami, FL

Employment Type: 

Spring - Part-Time 15 hours a week, Temporary, Non-Exempt

Summer - Full-Time 40 hours a week, Temporary, Non-Exempt

Compensation:

Spring - $18/hr plus work from home stipend of $50/month

Summer - $18/hr plus room and board and up to $500 travel reimbursement

The Organization:

At Thrive Scholars, we provide high-achieving, diverse, and underrepresented students, including students of color from under-resourced communities, the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges and in meaningful careers.

Our comprehensive and data-driven program model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in any career. Thrive Scholars originated in Los Angeles as South Central Scholars (“SCS”) twenty years ago. Over this time, the organization has refined its program model and, in the last five years, has focused on expanding nationally; reaching more high-achieving underrepresented students, growing the number of Scholars we serve; and deepening our program impact. Thrive Scholars has begun to grow its footprint with new summer program offerings in three additional cities, with more to come. The organization has approximately 75 year-round employees and close to 200 summer employees.

The Program - Summer Academy & Thrive Academy:

Summer Academy has long been the keystone of Thrive Scholars’ Six-Year Program, offering a signature summer experience through intensive college-preparatory courses taught by college instructors. Thrive’s current strategic direction builds on the success of Summer Academy to expand our impact by establishing community-based Thrive Academies in cities across the United States. We launched our first two Thrive Academies as commuter programs in Los Angeles and New York City in 2024 while simultaneously continuing to offer the residential Summer Academies for Scholars who are part of our Six-Year Program. We are gearing up to open a third Thrive Academy in Chicago and expect to continue extending our reach to other cities in the coming years.

The Students:

Our students are high-achieving and identify as underrepresented, including first-generation college-goers, students of color, and those from under-resourced communities, with an average high school GPA of 3.9 on a 4.0 scale. They are eager to learn, inquisitive, and highly motivated to succeed. In general, they see themselves as good students who perform well in school and are determined to live up to that expectation. Students in SA 1/TA 1 are rising high school seniors, while students in SA 2/TA 2 are rising college first-years.

The Position:
Thrive Scholars seeks interns for the Summer Academy programs. The interns will have the opportunity to develop and leverage skills in program design and leadership and project management. With support from the Program Operations Manager, Academies, the intern will be responsible for supporting the Academies team with day to day administrative tasks leading up to and during Summer Academy, supporting pre-departure needs of Scholars, and developing communication and informational materials for Scholars, internal and external stakeholders. 

During the summer residential portion of this role, you are expected to take off at least one day per week from work. Should you need to log work hours on 7 consecutive days, you must get prior approval from your supervisor.

Housing:

Housing is provided on campus in dormitory-style accommodations, with community bathrooms, showers, laundry facilities and common spaces. Each intern will have a private single room. Family housing is not available. Please expect that there will be no air conditioning and ADA requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. 

Primary Responsibilities:

Spring

• Orientation Support: Assist in building scholar and staff orientations, including documentation and material reviews.
• Communication Management: Oversee the summer academy inbox and respond to Scholar inquiries.
• Material Updates: Revise handbooks and other program materials for parents, scholars, and staff.
• Documentation Review: Carefully review scholar documentation for accuracy and lead scholar outreach as needed
• Staffing Processes: Support interviewing and onboarding seasonal staff.
• Logistics: Manage supply purchases, room assignments, and community programming preparation.
• Team Collaboration: Share updates and collaborate with the Summer Academy Team through various communication methods.
• Attendance Management: Support set up and training for attendance platform
• Other Duties: Handle additional tasks as needed.

Summer 

• Newsletter Creation: Develop bi-weekly newsletters for Summer Academy.
• Event Support: Assist with Program Assistant-led events and facilitate orientations.
• Field Trip Oversight: Support supervision of scholars during off-site field trips and manage related logistics.
• Programming Support: Provide logistical assistance for Thrive Program activities, including summits and tours.
• Supply and Inventory Management: Oversee supply distribution, inventory, and scholar mail (if applicable).
• Attendance Management: Track scholar attendance, follow up, and organize attendance data.
• Communication: Keep the Summer Academy Team informed of updates and schedule changes.
• Professional Boundaries: Maintain appropriate boundaries with scholars and staff.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Non-profit, education, or business internship experience; preferred
• Passion for working with and/or on behalf of low-income, first-generation students of color
• Detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to collaborate with team members and correspond professionally with participants.
• Comfortable with changing priorities and able to handle unexpected challenges effectively.
• Collaborative attitude with a willingness to support various aspects of the program.
• Event planning experience 
• Strong organizational skills and initiative
• Intellectual curiosity and an interest in learning about non-profit management
• Understanding of and commitment to Thrive Scholars’ ‘North Star’: Economic Mobility. Please review our position statement on economic mobility here.

Preference will be given to candidates located in the Boston or Amherst area for Summer Academy 1, and the Miami area for Summer Academy 2 to provide occasional on site support during the remote dates of the position. Applicants in other locations are still encouraged to apply. 

Working Environment & Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a seasonal employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this role:

• Frequent sitting, talking and listening and occasional walking, bending, stooping, and pulling
• Handle and operate computers, tools or controls
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
• See clearly in an indoor and outdoor environment
• Work in an indoor classroom environment that may not have air conditioning in the summer
• Travel off campus (transportation will be provided and advance notice will be given if required)
• Live in a dormitory that may not have air conditioning in the summer

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

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Thrive Scholars provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status. Knowing their importance to the success of our work, Thrive Scholars is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we aspire to build a diverse staff team and community. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

For more information, please visit thrivescholars.org