Lauren Heaney 鈥�25 (center) at a San Francisco funding event with U-GO Co-Founder Amy Powell and volunteer
By Nichola Monroe 鈥�27
For Lauren Heaney 鈥�25, an internship made all the difference for her post-grad entry into the professional world.
After exploring a handful of fields while at Scripps, Heaney dove into a major in sociology with an aim to enter nonprofit work.
鈥淪ocial issues ripple out to affect everything in modern society,鈥� Heaney explains. 鈥淚 wanted to do something good for others by using the skills I learned and loved throughout my studies.鈥�
In a competitive industry, Heaney initially struggled to find nonprofit internship opportunities. She was on the precipice of pivoting to another field鈥攗ntil, through Scripps鈥� Office of Career Planning & Resources (CP&R), she encountered U-GO.
Partnering with Scripps鈥� Career Planning & Resources
Tom Monroe P鈥�23, 鈥�27, is director of programs at U-GO, a rising nonprofit funding women鈥檚 university scholarships in nine low-income countries. Before meeting Heaney, Monroe鈥攁 Class of 1990 graduate of Pomona College鈥攈ad been seeking a candidate whose values and abilities aligned with the organization鈥檚 mission and goals. He turned to CP&R to collaborate on recruiting a Scripps student for the summer.
鈥淚鈥檓 a strong advocate of liberal arts education鈥攊t produces graduates that are creative, open-minded, good communicators, critical thinkers, and problem-solvers, which is what we need at U-GO,鈥� says Monroe. 鈥淎s a Scripps parent, I also know the College graduates excellent students who are socially minded and have an interest in international development. I knew I could find an independent, hard-working candidate who could take initiative at Scripps.鈥�
I鈥檓 a strong advocate of liberal arts education鈥攊t produces graduates that are creative, open-minded, good communicators, critical thinkers, and problem-solvers.
Monroe worked with CP&R to draft a job description and advertise the internship to the Scripps community. Since U-GO funnels as much funding as they can into scholarships鈥攊ts C-suite works for free鈥擟P&R also directed students to apply for an internship grant for the unpaid role.
The rising value of internship grants
鈥淢ore and more employers are looking at candidates鈥� past experience when hiring,鈥� explains Max Eastman, administrative assistant for institutional engagement at Scripps. 鈥淚nternships are increasingly critical for students as they prepare for life after graduation.鈥�
Internship grants are essential to helping students say 鈥測es鈥� to different career opportunities. Thanks to donor giving鈥攅specially from Scripps parents and families鈥擨n 2025, CP&R awarded a record 107 internship grants totaling more than $300,000 in funding.
Director of Programs Tom Monroe, PO 鈥�90, P 鈥�23 and 鈥�27, with U-GO scholars in Indonesia
鈥淢any valuable opportunities are only available unpaid or at a low rate of pay,鈥� Eastman continues, 鈥渆specially as federal funding challenges create financial uncertainty for many programs and institutions. Internship grants make these unpaid opportunities more viable for students who otherwise could not afford to take them on.鈥�
For many students, internships lead to full-time offers after graduation. This was true for Heaney.
鈥淓verybody loves Lauren,鈥� says Monroe. 鈥淪he has become invaluable to our team, and we鈥檙e lucky to have her.鈥�
Internships are not just helpful for students鈥攃ompanies and organizations also benefit from working with individuals who bring new ideas to their goals. At U-GO, Lauren developed major networking and education programs for the scholars.
I could not have afforded to take an unpaid internship after graduating. Now, I pretty much have my dream job.
鈥淢y experience as an intern was great,鈥� says Heaney, who worked cross-culturally to conduct research, building systems to improve communication, resource distribution, and community engagement across U-GO鈥檚 international programs. Her efforts ultimately strengthened both scholar support and donor engagement across the organization鈥檚 global network, leading to her current role as U-GO鈥檚 development manager.
鈥淚 could not have afforded to take an unpaid internship after graduating. Now, I pretty much have my dream job,鈥� Heaney adds. 鈥淚 am extremely grateful to the Scripps internship grant program for this.鈥�
Scripps families + students = more career opportunities
The question remains: would U-GO recruit from Scripps again?
鈥淵es, of course I would do it again,鈥� Monroe says. 鈥淗aving an intern is a mutually beneficial situation; we get the chance to work with some really smart, motivated students while an intern gains experience and reputability as an employee. In turn, we expose them to U-GO鈥檚 passions: women鈥檚 empowerment, gender equality, and education to support economic advancement.鈥�
For students looking to enter the nonprofit world, Heaney advises students to never give up, saying,
鈥淜eep putting applications out there, keep learning. What you put out into the world will come back to you.鈥�