Community Engaged Internships: Host Opportunities in North Carolina

Are you passionate about fostering the next generation of marine, coastal, and freshwater leaders in North Carolina? North Carolina Sea Grant invites you to become a host site for the Community Engaged Internship (CEI) program. By hosting an intern, you’ll play a pivotal role in empowering students by providing them with invaluable hands-on experience and mentorship opportunities in the field of marine, coastal, and freshwater sciences. Government agencies, non-profit organizations, and university/college faculty are eligible to serve as host sites or supervisors. For additional information about the program parameters see: Sea Grant CEI.

Why Host a CEI Intern?

Add Capacity to your Workplace: The undergraduate student will take on a specific project
and accomplish desired tasks for your organization. The job duties depend on your needs. NC
Sea Grant will help you define the project and recruit a student with the right sets of skills and
experience.

Empower Future Leaders: As a host site, you’ll have the opportunity to mentor and guide a
student early in their career path, helping them develop the skills and knowledge necessary to
succeed in their chosen field.

Broaden Participation in Marine, Coastal and Freshwater Careers: The CEI program is
committed to promoting equitable access to opportunities in environmental professions. By
expanding training activities for young people, you’ll help create opportunities for students of all backgrounds and abilities.

There Are Two Ways to Participate as a Host Site:

1. Include your currently funded student interns in the program
   • If you already have a student intern written into a grant, apply to include them in the CEI program. This will give them professional development, peer networking, and exposure to a variety of Sea Grant projects.
2. Apply to for NSGO internship funding to add a student intern to your summer project.
   • Funding from the National Sea Grant Office (administered by NC Sea Grant) will support 20 Sea Grant undergraduate internship projects in 2025. One of the perks of this funding is that the 20 interns who complete these projects will participate in an all-expenses-paid in-person professional development experience. 

How It Works:

• Host sites provide mentorship and guidance to a CEI intern over an 8-10 week period during
  the summer.
• Interns work on projects addressing environmental, economic, and social challenges related to
  N.C. marine, coastal, and freshwater issues.
• Host sites collaborate with NC Sea Grant professionals, researchers, and fellow host sites to
  support interns and enhance their experience.
• NC Sea Grant has funding available to pay the student interns. We also welcome host sites who
  can provide funding for student stipends.

For more information on how to become a host site: Contact Dynestie Robinson, Community Engaged Internship Coordinator, NC Sea Grant at DBRobin2@ncsu.edu.