Happy Wednesday! Greetings from your favorite Gen Z career coach, who is aimed at helping Gen Z get hired 🙂 

Today’s newsletter will feature 10 professional development programs for undergraduates, graduate students, and recent college grads.

With programs for students interested in Healthcare, STEM, Journalism, Fashion, Business/Finance, Software Engineering, and other related roles, a common theme amongst them is what I believe makes the perfect early career program:

1) access to paid opportunities

2) mentorship

3) professional development training and

4) a robust alumni network.

Let’s hop into it:

1. COOP Careers Fellowship

Who is it for: first-generation, college graduates

COOP is a tuition-free, career accelerator fellowship aimed at helping you break into the tech industry and get your first good job after graduation. I often speak so highly of this program because I’ve seen its impact on my past co-workers, friends, and even some of y’all in my community!

The program is offered in NYC, Chicago, Miami, LA, and the Bay Area. For 16 weeks, students connect weekly to learn technical skills, meet potential employers, and build community to secure full-time positions. There are 3 program tracks offered in Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, and Financial Services (only offered in NYC).

Alumni from this program have accepted full-time offers at TikTok, Salesforce, NBC Universal, Google, dentsu, Publicis Media, and many more!

The Spring 2025 cohort begins in February 2025 and their early action deadline is November 27th, 2024. Applying by this deadline increases your chance of getting into your #1 desired program track!

Apply ASAP with my very special referral link just for y’all!

I celebrated COOP’s 10-year anniversary with the team in Chicago back in September, check out my recap video on TikTok and learn more about the program too

(special thank you to COOP for sponsoring today’s newsletter!)

@theninthsemester

@COOP Careers is a 100% FREE professional development program (accepting apps now!) aimed at helping 1st gen, underemployed college gradua... See more

2. 4A’s Foundation MAIP Internship Program

Who is it for: underrepresented, undergraduate juniors, seniors, graduate students, and portfolio school students

Application deadline: December 9th, 11:59pm EST

The 4As Foundation’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) is a highly intensive 22-week fellowship that provides students with the opportunity to work in the advertising, communications, and marketing industries.

Throughout the program, MAIP fellows will have access to weekly professional development training, a MAIP coach/mentor, a 9-10 week PAID internship with one of the organization’s corporate partners, and so much more!

You can learn more and apply for the program HERE

3. InRoads Internship Program

Who is it for: undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors with at least 1 semester left before graduating majoring in the areas of Business, STEM, or Liberal Arts

The INROADS Internship Program works at the college level to prepare talented, diverse students across the country for corporate readiness with business soft skills, real-world leadership development activities, academic and career support, and an opportunity for a paid multi-year internship.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. You can learn more and apply HERE.

4. The New York Times Newsroom Fellowship

Who is it for: journalists with some experience who are early in their careers, including recent college graduates.

Application deadline is December 2, 2024 at 5pm EST.

The New York Times Fellowship is a one-year work program aimed at cultivating the next generation of journalists. This program replaced their newsroom’s summer internships in 2019.

The fellowship represents a unique opportunity to do great journalism for The Times. It incorporates speakers, feedback, and training opportunities.

You can learn more and apply HERE

5. SEO Internship Program

Who is it for: undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, and juniors

For more than 40 years, SEO Career has recruited and prepared high-achieving Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Native American undergraduates for summer internships across Wall Street, commercial real estate, technology, and corporate America, usually leading to coveted, full-time jobs.

They accept applications on a rolling basis. You can learn more and apply HERE

6. RAISEFashion x ARF Internship Program

Who is it for: Full-time undergraduate students. Rising juniors, seniors, or graduating seniors at one of their 13 HBCU partners

As part of RAISEfashion’s mission to promote inclusivity and racial equity within the fashion industry, they're working with the #ANTIRACISMFUND (ARF) to launch their fourth comprehensive 10-week professional development program for students, partnering with 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

You can learn more about the program HERE

7. Emma Bowen Foundation Internship Program

Who is it for: high school seniors or undergraduate college students of color

The Emma Bowen Fellows Program provides multi-year internships to students of color at media companies across the country with roles in media, entertainment, and tech. There are 3 program tracks offered: Business (Sales, Public Relations, Marketing, Human Resources, etc.), Content (News Production, Broadcast Journalism, and Print Journalism), and Innovation (Engineering, Software Development, Digital Marketing, Coding, etc.)

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. You can learn more and apply HERE

8. Summer Health Professions Education Program

Who is it for: must be a high school graduate and currently enrolled as a freshman, sophomore, or junior in college.

Application deadline is February 5, 2025

The Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) is a free summer program for students to explore their interests in medicine, dentistry, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, public health, and more

You can learn more and apply HERE

9. T. Howard Foundation Internship Program

Who is it for: underrepresented, undergraduate sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students at an accredited, 4-year U.S college/university

Application deadline: December 1, 2024

This program is dedicated to improving the participation of diverse and underrepresented groups in the media and entertainment industry. Program participants are provided with a full-time paid summer internship, scholarships, mentors, networking opportunities, and much more.

You can learn more and apply HERE

10. MLT Career Prep

Who is it for: all undergraduate majors. college sophomores graduating in Fall 2026, Spring 2027, Summer 2027-including July and August of 2027

Application deadline is January 15, 2025 (they highly recommend applying earlier)

MLT’s Career Prep (CP) program provides emerging student leaders who have experienced inequity, including Black, Latine, Native American, and other students, access to career-accelerating resources. This includes a winning professional playbook, 20 months of programming, which includes personalized coaching, and an accelerating network of 11,000 MLT Alumni Rising Leaders.

95% of Career Prep Fellows secure summer internships and 90% receive full-time job offers prior to graduation.

You can learn more and apply HERE

When it comes to your early career, it’s important to think long-term. Anyone can get an internship for 1-2 semesters but if your end goal is to land a full-time opportunity and grow in your early career, these programs are the key!

I wish you all of the best of luck with your applications and as always, stay tuned with me on Linkedin, Instagram, AND TikTok for weekly early career resources and paid job opportunities to apply for!