Student Experience & Planning Intern

Reports to: Managing Director of Partnerships

About Chicago Scholars

Chicago Scholars is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit leadership development organization that empowers academically ambitious first-generation or low-income students to overcome systemic barriers to success in college and beyond while preparing the citys businesses and organizations for the next generation of leaders.

Since 1996 Chicago Scholars has built a legacy of success by investing in our youth and amplifying their leadership. Our Scholars are high-achieving first-generation college students and students from low-income communities and they have the talent heart and big dreams to become our next generation of leaders and transform our city.

At its core our work is about economic mobility leadership development and belonging. Its about making sure our Scholars have everything they need to journey from Chicagos classrooms to Chicagos boardroomsor to wherever their dreams may lead.

Chicago Scholars is transforming the leadership landscape of our city by resolving the fundamental barriers to success for academically driven first-generation college students from under-resourced communities. Through college counseling mentoring and by providing a supportive community to our Scholars through each phase of our program: College Readiness College Success and Career and Leadership Advancement we ensure that they realize their full potential as students and leaders.

76% of Chicago Scholars graduate college within 6 years. Per the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research only 49% of their peers earn a degree within 6 years. Upon graduation our Scholars move into leadership positions across Chicago helping to drive the economic future of their communities and our thriving city.

READI Commitment

At Chicago Scholars we strive to prepare our Scholars for the world and the world for our Scholars. Our dual focus on Scholars and the world is essential to our strategy. To achieve these goals we center racial justice equity accessibility diversity and inclusion (READI) in all that we do.

Chicago Scholars commitment to READI encompasses all of our stakeholdersfrom our staff to our board from our volunteers to our partnering organizations and most importantly our Scholars. This holistic approach is necessary for the sustained long-term positive impact that we seek for our Scholars our neighborhoods our city and our world.

To learn more about Chicago Scholars commitment to READI please visit Chicago Scholars we believe that education is social justice. Thats why were empowering Chicagos best and brightest first-generation college students and students from low-income communities with the mentors resources and opportunities to go to our nations best colleges and universities graduate on time and become Chicagos next generation of leaders. Since 1996 weve impacted the lives of more than 5000 young leaders in Chicago.

Our Values

These are a set of guiding principles that apply to all stakeholders within the Chicago Scholars ecosystem. We select and retain stakeholders based on these stated expectations for how we achieve our mission and vision. Each is supported with core competencies and narrative for the sake of clarity.

We Dream Big. We speak up innovate push the boundaries and keep the creativity flowing. We dont accept the status quo because the stakes are too high. We have an incredible belief that growth and change is possible. While we dream big we are laser focused on our intended goals and outcomes for our Scholars our city and the world.

We Show Up. We show up every day; not just physically but with a positive attitude and willingness to work connect challenge engage solve problems and have fun. We dont wait for someone to tell us what to do. We take action and get the job done. If we dont know how we figure it out through our knowledge exploration or our network.

We Embrace Our Differences. We represent a multicultural nation and our collective backgrounds experiences styles values perspectives and beliefs are an asset to the world. We recognize that together we achieve better outcomes more quickly. Justice and equity starts with us using our collective voice.

We Model the Way. We exhibit the behavior that we want to see in others and in the world. Titles are granted but our behavior is what earns us order to model the way we must be clear about our guiding principles celebrate our accomplishments and learn from our challenges and failures.

We Care For Each Other. We adapt to the needs of the person in front of us. We pause reflect and listen. We do our best work when we are in good relationship together. We care personally and challenge directly.

We Keep Our Word. When we commit we are all in. Whether for events a Scholar a peer or ourselves. Our words are as powerful as our actions and are the building block of trust respect self-worth and integrity.

Position Summary

Chicago Scholars is excited to welcome a Student Experience & Planning Intern to help plan and execute ScholarCon 2027our flagship convening designed to unite students partners and community leaders in advancing a more equitable future for Chicago youth. By bringing together high-potential first-generation and underrepresented young people with colleges employers and mission-aligned organizations ScholarCon creates pathways to college success career mobility and lifelong leadership. Tentatively planned for October 2027 ScholarCon is intentionally being built as a student-centered culturally relevant and high-energy experience.

This intern is not extra helpthey are an integral part of the planning team ensuring ScholarCon remains truly student-facing by bringing real-time student perspective ideas and feedback into decisions about programming activations communications and brand expression.

While the intern will report directly to Chicago Scholars they will collaborate closely with our ScholarCon Event Partner participating in regular planning touchpoints and contributing to shared creative and logistical workstreams.

Youll gain hands-on experience in:

• Event strategy and execution for a major citywide convening
• Marketing social content creation and brand feedback loops
• Stakeholder engagement pitching and public speaking
• Research and data-informed decision-making within event planning

This role is a part-time & hourly position without benefits. The rate per hour is $17/hour and the number of hours that you will be permitted to work each week is up to 15 hours on average. The number of hours per week can be flexible to accommodate school schedules and heavy project periods.

Key Responsibilities: (Responsibilities may flex across the planning cycle; the intern will be invited into both creative and operational workstreams.)

1) Student-facing programming & activations

• Brainstorm propose and refine student activations that drive engagement belonging and wow moments
• Provide feedback on session concepts programming tracks and on-site experiencesensuring they resonate with students and reflect student needs
• Bring culturally relevant strategies so ScholarCon is truly student-facing across identity language style music visuals and community norms
• Serve as a Scholar voice on the planning team surfacing insights from peers and student communities

2) Social media & content creation (evergreen day-of)

• Create and/or support development of evergreen content that builds excitement and awareness leading up to ScholarCon
• Support day-of social content (photo/video capture ideas short-form scripts posts stories on-site moments)
• Contribute to content brainstorming that highlights student stories community energy and key event themes

3) Branding visuals and creative ideation feedback

• Provide feedback on brand explorations visual directions and creative conceptsespecially through a student lens
• Assist with light branding support (idea boards references student trend insights language suggestions)

4) Event planning support (logistics communications)

• Support planning tasks and coordination: notes task tracking timelines communications drafts and outreach support as needed
• Help prepare for and participate in planning meetings with Chicago Scholars and the Event Partner (including weekly huddles when applicable)

5) Research data collection and analysis

• Assist with research to inform decisions (e.g. student preferences activation benchmarks vendor/program ideas)
• Support data collection and synthesis of feedback (polls quick surveys listening sessions debrief notes)

6) Public speaking pitching and stakeholder engagement

• Support moments where student voice is needed in external-facing contexts: brief remarks pitches partner conversations or on-stage roles (as comfortable and appropriate)

Additional Responsibilities

• This role will occasionally work on nights and weekends for Scholar and Development events and programming and may have the opportunity to manage an intern. This role is also required to attend and support mandatory all staff events
• Other duties as assigned

• Must be a current Chicago Scholars Program college student
• Education: High school diploma some college
• Experience: 1-2 years of work experience (preferred)
• Residing in Chicago is strongly preferred
• Optional:

o At least a college sophomore heading into junior year and expected to still be enrolled in college through October 2027

o Interest and/or academic focus in advertising branding marketing communications or public relations (or related experience)

Skills and Strengths

• Creative thinker who enjoys brainstorming and building student-centered experiences
• Comfortable giving and receiving candid feedback (respectfully) and representing peer perspectives
• Strong communication skills (written verbal) and social media fluency
• Reliable organized and able to juggle multiple moving pieces
• Curious and coachableready to learn event planning in a real-world environment

Core Competencies

• Accountability/Project Management: Effectively manages own work and work of teams when relevant ensuring delivery of high-quality work.
• Teamwork/Collaboration: Demonstrates awareness and respect of cultural and individual values. Listens to ideas from others even when different from own. Is careful to ensure all sides are heard reaching a conclusion. Shares time energy and knowledge with others to ensure they can succeed.
• Communication: Communication is the ability to read and interpret information effectively clearly articulate a plan of action and influence others by way of written and verbal mechanisms.
• Adaptability: Ability to operate flexibly in changing contexts and operating environments. Ability to manage change effectively to support teams and reach intended goals.

AI Literacy & Engagement

Our team leverages AI to augment human creativity and enhance this role you will be encouraged to experiment with AI tools to improve your work and drive efficiency. We seek individuals who demonstrate curiosity about emerging technologies and are comfortable integrating AI into everyday tasks. You will proactively identify areas of friction in workflows where AI can improve speed quality or insight while maintaining a strong understanding of data security privacy and ethical considerations in AI use.

Starting Salary: Starting Salary: $17 per hour usually 15 hours per week (part-time hourly role without benefits)

Best Offer First Policy: The data nationally show for every $1 paid to white men women earn 82 cents black men earn 88 cents and black women earn 76 cents. Women and black and brown people are also less likely to negotiate than their white male peers. Chicago Scholars has decided to offer our best offer first rather than wait for a potential negotiation. This allows us to set salaries based on market data and internal equity and ensure fair and equal pay for every role.

If you have questions regarding either of the above policies or any of Chicago Scholars employment policies please reach out to the Human Resources team at with the subject line: Policy Question.

To Apply

Please click Apply to submit your application which should include a resume.