15 Internships for Sophomores in High School

High school internships give you practical experience that goes beyond what you learn in the classroom. As a high school sophomore, you’re probably starting to think about your future and preparing for college applications. An internship can help you understand different career paths, build professional skills, and make useful connections with professionals and mentors. These connections can prove very valuable when you’re asking for letters of recommendation for your college applications or future job applications. 

Internships also strengthen your college applications by showing initiative, responsibility, and an interest in learning outside of school. For sophomores, they’re a good way to explore your interests early and build a strong foundation for junior and senior year. Here are 15 internships you can apply to as a sophomore.

1. Ladder Internship Program

Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November). 
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!

Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average, raising over a million dollars. Interns work closely with their manager at the startup on real-world projects and present their work to the company. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.

2. NASA and UT Austin’s SEES High School Summer Intern Program

Location: Hybrid (virtual and UT campus in Austin, TX)
Application Deadline: Applications usually close around February
Program Dates: July 27 - August 4
Cost: Free, travel scholarships available
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors who are at least 16 years old and are US citizens  

The SEES (STEM Enhancement in Earth Sciences) High School Summer Internship Program has two parts: distance learning activities and a residential camp, which is a week-long internship for sophomores. To participate in the onsite camp, you must complete the virtual learning activities before the deadline. You will be working with the Texas Space Research Center and gain the exciting opportunity of working with NASA subject matter experts. As a sophomore, you will have a specific project theme to work on. For 2024, the theme is Microgravity Research with the ZQube. As an intern working on the project, you will collaborate with ZERO-G flight mentors to design and develop a unique research payload, which will be tested in microgravity aboard the ZERO-G parabolic aircraft.

3. Meta Summer Academy

Location: Menlo Park, CA.
Application deadline: Applications will open in December.
Program dates: 6 weeks from June to July.
Cost/Stipend: Students receive a stipend, but the exact amount is not available. 
Eligibility: High school sophomores who are residents of East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, or Redwood City

If you're interested in tech, the Meta Summer Academy offers the opportunity to learn about the workings of one of the world’s largest social media networks. This six-week internship will introduce you to various tech domains, including software engineering, data science, social technologies, and more. You will engage in hands-on projects, gaining practical experience that extends beyond the classroom while networking with meta-professionals. The program also focuses on developing essential soft skills needed for a successful career in tech, such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. The Academy also conducts workshops, seminars, and mentoring sessions designed to equip you with a comprehensive understanding of the tech landscape. 

4. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center HOPP Summer Student Program

Location: Manhattan, NY
Application Deadline: Applications usually open in December 
Program Dates: June 27 - August 22
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of $1200 is offered.
Eligibility: High school students except freshmen who are 14 or older and have a GPA of 3.5 in science subjects.

The HOPP Summer Student Program held at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre is an eight-week research internship that will give you insight into computational and biomedical research. As an intern, you will be assigned a mentor—a PhD fellow, research assistant, or graduate student—who will guide and support you throughout the program. The program aims to help you build practical research and lab skills. You will work on specific research projects in the laboratory and be a part of PhD journal clubs, lab tours, and networking events with like-minded peers. Additionally, you will get access to state-of-the-art facilities at the center, training sessions, and highly valuable luncheons with the principal investigator (PI). 

5. Zuckerman Institute’s Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia (BRAINYAC)

Location: Columbia University
Application Deadline: Applications open in October 
Program Dates: July 10 - August 18
Cost/Stipend: Stipend provided
Eligibility: High school sophomores or juniors who reside in NYC, preferably Manhattan and the South of the Bronx

If you are interested in neuroscience and medicine-related fields, the Zuckerman Institute's Brain Research Apprenticeships at Columbia (BRAINYAC) might be a solid choice for you. In this program, you will be paired with a Columbia neuroscientist who will guide you as you explore a specific research topic. Throughout a seven-week period, you will receive practical experience by working in a laboratory on a research project. You will have the fantastic opportunity to connect with scientists working in the field while working in a laboratory environment with like-minded peers. You can also participate in future BRAINYAC cohorts to gain access to an alumni network that offers trips and special events.

6. Project SEED by American Chemical Society 

Location: Available in multiple US locations. Check them here.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in April.
Program Dates: 8-10 weeks, June to August
Cost/Stipend: No cost; There is a $4,000 stipend
Eligibility: Applicants must be current high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors (and recent graduates) and have completed one course in high school chemistry. Project SEED has multiple criteria that can be verified here!

If you have an interest in chemistry and chemical sciences, Project SEED is an opportunity that will teach you lab skills essential to the field. You will get the opportunity to work in laboratories at universities and other important sites associated with the US government for 8–10 weeks. As an intern, you will work on an independent research project according to your interests, choosing from a wide range of Project SEED labs and locations. This opportunity is targeted towards underrepresented communities, with a selective cohort of only 350 students. Students will be given assistance with university applications. Your coordinator for the project can also register you for the American Chemical Society National Meeting, where you can present your work. 

7. Child Mind Institute Youth Mental Health Academy

Location: Remote, hybrid, and in-person options are available
Application deadline: Applications close around March
Program dates: June – July 
Cost/Stipend: Up to $2,000 offered.
Eligibility: Be a high school student enrolled in a public/private school in California with an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher. The student must be from a structurally marginalised community.

The Child Mind Institute Program is a year-round program designed for students interested in mental health. The program takes place in three phases: a 5-week project-based learning in the summer, then monthly workshops, mentor support, and other activities in the school year, and finally, up to 6 weeks of internship in the summer. During the summer internship, you will participate in interactive discussions on topics such as mental health, treatment, research, and related careers, and work on a capstone project to showcase what you’ve learned during the summer sessions. 

8. The Met Summer High School Internships 

Location: The Met Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Application deadline: Applications for school-year internships close around October 
Program dates: School-year internships run from January to June, while summer internships run from June to August
Cost/Stipend: A $1,100 stipend provided
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors based in and around New York City

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or MET, is one of the most well-known and largest museums in the world. They offer high school students an opportunity to interact with the arts and creative fields. As an intern,  you will get to interact with creative professionals in the fields of marketing, social media, museum art, and more. You will also get the chance to gain work experience in areas like social media, event management, and design. The program is aimed at helping you develop professional skills, network, and gain work experience. You’ll also get to participate in Career Labs, a 2-hour in-depth session where you can interact with designers, curators, and other experts who will discuss their professional journeys and deliver guest lectures during the session. 

9. Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program

Location: All states in the USA and countries such as Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Pacific Islands. You will be assigned a location within your locality
Application Deadline: Applications will be open from November - February 
Program Dates: June to August (8 weeks in the summer)
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of  $3,000 is provided to interns alongside a fully-funded trip to the Hutton Scholars Summit at the University of Arkansas.
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are at least 16 years old 

The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program, sponsored by the American Fisheries Society (AFS), is a highly selective opportunity for those interested in aquatic species. As a scholar, you will be assigned a professional mentor who will aid you in activities such as field sampling, data analysis, and habitat restoration projects. You will get the chance to gain hands-on fisheries science experience in marine or freshwater environments, conducting laboratory and field research. You will also participate in management projects and efforts for resource conservation. Some of the activities you would be involved in outdoors are electrofishing, examining specimens under a microscope, water quality testing, data processing, and more. 

10. Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) - Communications, Digital Media, and Curriculum Division Internship Program

Location: Virtual and or hybrid at the centre in Washington, DC
Application deadline: Applications usually close around the end of March 
Program Dates: 8-10 weeks between May and August
Cost/ Stipend: There is a stipend; however, the amount is unspecified. 
Eligibility: High school students aged 16 and above

The Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) offers a diverse range of internships in fields such as communication, marketing, digital media, and more for high school and college students. You will work with professional curriculum developers to create global goals and work on activities related to sustainability. Some tasks that you might undertake are: conducting interviews, recording and transcribing them, editing and arranging photos, conducting research, writing, and more. You will be mentored by the marketing and communications team and will receive feedback and guidance on tasks. All work descriptions and requirements can be viewed here.

11. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) at the Department of Navy (DoN)

Location: The program runs across the United States. You can locate all the labs here 
Application deadline: Applications open in August 
Program dates: Eight weeks in the summer. The exact dates depend on your lab and project
Cost/Stipend: $4,000 (new participant) and $4,500 (returning participant)
Eligibility: High school students enrolled in grades 10-12 who will be at least 16 years old at the start of the internship. Check for specific requirements according to the lab. 

SEAP by the Department of Navy is an opportunity for students who are interested in naval research and engineering. The internship offers you a chance to engage in science and engineering research under the mentorship of Navy professionals. You will get the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in your chosen area of interest while acquiring skills related to computer science and aerospace engineering. Lab assignments are tailored to your interests, ensuring a customized experience that resonates with your academic and career aspirations. SEAP's strong ties to the US government enhance its reputation; moreover, with only 3000 placements across 38 labs in the country, the program is highly selective and competitive in nature. 

12. Internship at the National Zoo by the Smithsonian Office of Internships 

Location: Washington, DC| Front Royal, VA| Herndon, VA alongside Virtual and Hybrid options
Application Deadline: July 6: Primate Animal Keeping Internship | July 31: Bird House Keeper Internship | October 25: Veterinary Preceptorship
Program Dates: 8 to 12 weeks between September to December
Cost/ Stipend: All interns will be paid a stipend.
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible to apply.

For animal lovers and those interested in veterinary sciences, the Smithsonian Office of Internships offers diverse opportunities at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., the Conservation Biology Center in Virginia, and hybrid/virtual options. The internships include animal care and research programs such as nutrition, conservation, IT, and veterinary sciences. As an intern, you will contribute to the National Zoo's mission of animal conservation and public education while gaining practical, hands-on experience with a variety of species. You can apply to multiple openings according to your area of interest, such as bird housekeeping, residency in zoology medicine, veterinary preceptorship, and more. 

13. KP Launch Internship

Location: Nearby Kaiser Permanente Medical Center or business office.
Application deadline: Applications typically close at the end of December. 
Program dates: June 17 to August 2
Cost/Stipend: Participants receive compensation ranging from $15.50 to $18 per hour.
Eligibility: High school students aged 16-19 by June 1, including graduating seniors who have permanent residence in a Northern California Kaiser Permanente designated service area.

Kaiser Permanente's summer internship program offers high school students an opportunity to gain practical experience in healthcare. The program will enable you to explore administrative and business-related responsibilities in the healthcare sector. It has specific tracks such as accounting, sales, marketing, and communications, in which students can explore their interests and develop essential skills for future careers. Through practical activities, shadowing experiences, and workshops, participants will delve into the business side of healthcare while receiving mentorship and fostering teamwork. In this seven-week paid internship, you will also gain valuable personal and professional development by being a part of networking opportunities with peers and senior leaders.

14. The Cooke Internship Program

Location: New York
Cost/Stipend: No cost; there is a stipend provided. 
Application Deadline: Accepted on a rolling basis according to area of interest.
Program Dates: October to June
Eligibility: Students between the ages of 14-21 can apply 

If you are interested in culinary arts and related fields, you should consider applying to the Cooke internship program! Cooke School is a nonprofit organization in education that allows students from high school to gain experience in areas that are a key part of their curriculum. They collaborate with public and private sector companies to create student internship opportunities. As an intern, you will be paired with a company that aligns with your interests and aptitude, enabling you to perform to your full potential. Additionally, you will be assigned a Cooke Job Coach who will support and guide you throughout your internship, ensuring you utilize your full potential. A few organizations that the program works with are Animal Haven, Educational Alliance, WeWork, Cost Co., and more.

15. Artworks Internships

Location: Lewis Arts Studio or the Koubek Center, Florida
Application deadline: Applications usually close around the first week of April 
Program dates: Six weeks between the months of June and July 
Cost/Stipend: No cost, there is a $12 per hour stipend
Eligibility: Current high school students who are 14 years old and Florida residents

Internships by Artworks are designed for students who are interested in the performing arts and aim to gain practical experience in the field. You can choose areas such as dance, film, theatre, animation, visual arts, creative writing, music production, and more according to your area of preference. Exposure to real-life applications of the field under the guidance of a mentor will serve as a good choice to network and learn valuable skills to aid your career. You will get the chance to work alongside professionals to create art of your own while developing skills essential for your professional life. The experience will enable you to take on projects, build a portfolio, and meet like-minded peers. This is a paid opportunity that will last six weeks and be conducted during weekdays.

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