By Jon Gorey
noteworthy
Internships are the ideal complement to a college education, introducing students to real-life work experiences and real-world career connections outside the classroom.
The catch? About 40% of internships are unpaid, according to a 2021 National Association of Colleges and Employers survey.
While working for free may be a traditional way to gain experience, it’s a luxury many students can’t afford if they lack financial support—or a free place to live. After all, it’s hard to hear opportunity knock at your door when the landlord is pounding on it, demanding rent.
That’s why Cathy and Dan Phillips, BSBA ’73, have funded a new scholarship program that provides stipends for Suffolk students who work unpaid internships. The biannual scholarship ranges from $2,500 to $3,000, and helps eligible students cover basic expenses while they work without a paycheck.
“Both of us came from low income families,” says Dan Phillips, who had to work multiple jobs to pay for college. “Although it was challenging doing that and also keeping up with the academics, it turned out to be a rewarding experience that served me well in life.”
Phillips, who would go on to found Phillips DiPisa, a successful national executive search firm serving healthcare and life sciences organizations (from which he recently retired after 27 years), hopes the stipends can help students explore career opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise be able to pursue.
“Cathy and I both support the idea of students getting internships to help them leave school with more than just the academic experience,” Phillips says. “We wanted to make sure that students who don’t necessarily have the sort of connections or economic means to take an unpaid internship—because they might be coming from a family situation where even going to college is a struggle financially—have that same opportunity.”
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Photograph by Michael J. Clarke
