Explore the Real World

High school internships are a fantastic way for students to explore career options and discover what tasks they enjoy. Sometimes students find out more about what they don't like, which can often be even more important. These experiences can be extremely valuable for determining which majors to choose.

A high school internship is also important because it can set you and your college application apart from your peers.  In high school, the majority of internships are found by networking with family, friends, teachers, previous employers, or by contacting local organizations to see if they are interested in hiring a high school intern. We have listed some popular San Diego internship programs below, but have pages of other amazing summer and research opportunities for students.

Birch Aquarium Summer Internship

This internship is great for teens with good communication skills and an interest in marine science. High school InterpreTEENS will be positioned at specific exhibits throughout Birch Aquarium engaging guests in ocean conservation conversations. InterpreTEENS will lead formal and informal conservation-based presentations to enhance the Birch Aquarium guest experience. 

San Diego U-T Community Journalism Scholars Program

The Union-Tribune is proud to bring together college-bound high school students of different cultural and economic backgrounds from throughout the county to learn about journalism and new media careers. The U-T Community Journalism Scholars program will provide an opportunity to actively participate in a major media company with the purpose of reporting the news from a unique, community perspective. The students selected will be able to learn about new journalism and civic engagement and have the opportunity to have their work published online and in the U-T. Up to six students will be selected. Each Scholar will be paid for participating in the program and have an opportunity for a $5,000 scholarship provided by the U-T.

The Scripps Research Institute Internship

The Scripps Research Institute's High School Student Research Education Program exposes students to contemporary issues in biomedical research and provides hands-on laboratory experience and mentorship. It is committed to increasing the number of talented students who choose a career in the biological and chemical sciences, particularly first-generation college-bound students and students from groups that are underrepresented in science.

This program is a part of the San Diego Workforce Partnership’s Life Sciences Summer Institute (LSSI) which begins with a one-week unpaid boot camp followed by a seven-week paid research internship.

ThoughtSTEM

ThoughtSTEM is a small EdTech startup which specializes in computer science education for kids in San Diego and worldwide. Every summer, we run computer science summer camps for elementary through high school-aged students at UC San Diego and other locations around the city. We're planning to teach nearly 1400 local San Diego students how to code this summer! Kids are going to be learning everything from Python and Java to Virtual Reality with HTML/CSS/Javascript to Minecraft Modding. 

We’re looking for high-achieving, motivated, college & university undergraduates for a competitive summer internship at our summer camps. We believe interns should take away just as much for an internship experience as the effort they put in, so our summer internship is a blend of learning advanced computer science alongside teaching kids how to code in our camps. Summer interns will: 
* Learn various computer science curriculums and learn how to teach computer science to kids. 
* Teach local San Diego kids how to code for approx. 2 weeks. 
* Take college-level computer science courses with a PhD in computer science, Dr. Stephen Foster, for approx. 2 weeks. 
* Gain leadership skills in a summer camp setting, while giving back to the San Diego community. 
* Get exposure to a wide array of fun programming languages.