The Interns Are Back: A New Class of College Talent Returns to Serve This Summer

There is a particular energy that fills the Urban League of Greater Philadelphia when summer arrives, the energy of a new class of interns walking through the door, ready to learn, ready to contribute, and ready to serve their communities. This summer, that energy is back. Our Summer Internship Program returns with a fresh group of college students prepared to gain real, hands-on experience and to give back to the city that raised them.

This program is one of the most direct expressions of what economic freedom looks like in practice. It takes young people who have already invested in their own futures through higher education and gives them what so many internships never do: paid, meaningful placement in their actual field of interest, plus the professional foundation to thrive once the summer ends.

What the program offers

Our interns receive an eight-week paid internship placement matched to their field of study, working in real roles across a variety of industries. But the experience doesn't stop at the job itself. Every week, our Workforce Development team leads professional development sessions designed to prepare these students for the workforce they are about to enter, covering the skills that classrooms don't always teach: workplace communication, networking, resume and interview readiness, financial literacy, and the confidence to navigate professional spaces and own a seat at the table.

The result is an internship that develops the whole professional, not just the worker. Students leave not only with a line on their resume, but with mentors, a network, and a clearer sense of the career they're building toward.

A diverse class, a wide range of dreams

What makes this program special is the breadth of who it serves. Our interns come from a wide range of colleges and universities and bring an equally wide range of majors and fields of study, from business and STEM to the arts, public service, healthcare, communications, and beyond. They reflect the full diversity of Greater Philadelphia: different backgrounds, different campuses, different ambitions, united by a shared readiness to grow and a shared commitment to their communities.

We are proud to support these students at a pivotal point in their educational journey, the moment when classroom learning meets real-world experience and a young person starts to see exactly what they're capable of.

Made possible by people who believe in young talent

A program like this does not happen on its own. It happens because leaders and supporters choose to invest in the next generation of Philadelphia's workforce. We are deeply grateful to Senator Vincent Hughes and to the many Urban League supporters whose funding and belief make these paid placements possible. Their investment is the reason a college student can spend the summer building skills in their chosen field instead of choosing between experience and a paycheck.

That generosity reflects a truth the Urban League has long understood: when you invest in people who are ready, you strengthen everything around them. Every intern we place is a future professional, a future leader, and a future investor in someone else's potential.

Looking ahead

The Summer Internship Program is part of the Urban League's larger commitment to workforce development and career services, work that will soon have an even stronger home. The new Center for Well-Being in West Philadelphia is being designed to include community classrooms for workforce programming and internships that build career pathways for local youth, anchoring this kind of opportunity in the neighborhood for years to come.

To this summer's class: welcome. You earned your place here, and we can't wait to see what you build. To the supporters who made it possible: thank you for betting on Philadelphia's talent. And to the students and families wondering whether opportunities like this exist for them, they do, and the Urban League is here to help you find them.

Momentum Newsletter: June 2026 | Issue 6 | Freedom & Pride