Unlock Your Career Potential: How Paid Internships Like St. Louis Fellows Build Skills and Make a Difference

Discover the Power of Paid Internships

Imagine walking down a hallway adorned with lush plants, past a vibrant painting of a tree, and into an office filled with shelves of native Missouri flora. This is where you'd find Winston Mattson, a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis, who is transforming his career path through a unique internship opportunity.

Winston's Journey with Seed St. Louis

As one of 45 Gephardt Institute St. Louis Fellows, Winston interns at Seed St. Louis, a nonprofit based in the Delmar Divine social innovation hub. His role is multifaceted: he creates storytelling content, tends to community gardens, engages with partners, and supports fundraising efforts. This hands-on experience allows him to apply diverse skills and build new strengths, aligning with his major in environmental analysis.

Winston describes himself as a "multidisciplinarian," thriving on the variety of tasks that challenge him daily. "I love having different tasks that use different skill sets," he says. "I get to challenge myself and also build new strengths."

The St. Louis Fellows Program: Bridging Gaps

The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement launched the St. Louis Fellows program in 2008 with just 12 participants. Today, it supports 45 fellows and continues to grow. This initiative provides students with paid internships at local nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies, offering a $7,500-base stipend to cover expenses.

Stephanie Kurtzman, the executive director, emphasizes the program's impact: "Many organizations cannot afford to hire interns, and many students cannot afford to work without compensation. The St. Louis Fellows program solves that problem, providing students meaningful career and civic leadership opportunities while helping St. Louis organizations meet their mission-critical goals."

For Winston, the stipend was essential, covering summer living costs and part of his fall semester expenses. "Without the stipend, I think this entire experience would have been off the table for me," he notes. "For a lot of students, it's a necessity."

Real-World Impact and Career Insights

A key part of Winston's internship involves collaborating with community partners like A Red Circle, a nonprofit focused on strengthening north St. Louis County. Through initiatives like cultivating community gardens, he sees firsthand how local efforts can drive environmental change.

Aspiring to become an environmental litigator, Winston values this experience for its practical lessons. "The big takeaway from this summer is that good relationships and local small-scale solutions can also make a tangible difference," he reflects.

About Career Catalysts

This story is part of the Career Catalysts series, which highlights WashU interns and their contributions to the St. Louis community. The university funds these paid internships to equip students with job skills while supporting local startups, small businesses, and nonprofits.

Meet the interns behind this article:

• Zach Trabitz, a news intern majoring in art history, covered various university stories and served as an editor for the Student Life newspaper.
• Cole Bernstein, a multimedia intern studying film, produced videos and contributed to film projects, including a premiere at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase.