Spring 2026 Undergraduate Intern

Job Description

The Death Penalty Information Center (DPI) is seeking a Spring 2026 Undergraduate Intern to provide general support to the Center’s small staff through research and writing projects. 

Applicants should be detail-oriented and have a strong interest in the Center’s work of serving the media and the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment. The Fall 2025 Undergraduate Intern should be a strong writer and researcher with a basic understanding of Microsoft Excel. They will work with various staff members on content for DPI’s website and reports, and provide occasional administrative support.

They will be working part-time and hours and schedule are flexible, but we prefer interns to work during normal work hours (M-F, 9-5pm ET). We are willing to work with your college or university for internship credit. Social Sciences, Communications, Criminal Justice/Criminology, Pre-Law, Data Analytics/Science, Computer Science, or Graphic Design (for Social Media Intern) other related field of study preferred. Start date and end date are flexible, but we hope interns would start in January. If you have questions, please contact Anne Holsinger at aholsinger@deathpenaltyinfo.org. These positions are unpaid, but DPI will work with you to obtain course credit for the internship, if desired.

DPI strongly encourages applications from historically disadvantaged groups, including formerly incarcerated people, Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and women.

How To Apply

Applications are due ASAP but by November 21st, 2025. Please send a cov­er let­ter not­ing your expe­ri­ence and/​or inter­est in cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment (includ­ing pre­ferred hours) and a resume in a sin­gle PDF to internships@​deathpenaltyinfo.​org. Please address your cov­er let­ter to Anne Holsinger, DPI’s Managing Director. Indicate in your email sub­ject line that you are apply­ing for the General Undergraduate Internship.

Spring 2026 Research and Data InternJob Description
The Death Penalty Information Center (DPI) is seeking an undergraduate or graduate student for our Spring 2026  Research and Data  internship. The Research and Data intern will work on a variety of projects related to DPI’s Death Penalty Census, website, and information architecture. The Research and Data  intern may also be responsible for conducting basic research on relevant topics, updating and creating website content, and short writing projects, as needed. Some possible projects include: 

• Restructuring DPI’s digital archive of case files
• Researching updates for DPI’s Death Penalty Census and entering relevant data into the Census database
• Digitizing records
• Assisting with research for upcoming reports or website updates (familiarity with the legislative process is a plus)
• Assisting with DPI’s automated data collection (knowledge of Python and or R is preferred) 

Applicants should have an interest in the Center’s work of serving the media and the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment, and be comfortable with a small office environment. Hours and schedule are flexible as we are open to full-time and part-time interns. However, we prefer interns to work during normal work hours (M-F, 9-5pm ET). We also prefer candidates who are available to work a hybrid schedule, with 2-3 days per week in-person in our office in downtown Washington, DC. The office is Metro-accessible on the red, orange, blue, and silver lines. We are willing to work with your college or university for internship credit. Social Sciences, Criminal Justice/Criminology, Library Science, or other related field of study preferred. Start date and end date are flexible, but we hope interns would start in January 2026. Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to apply. If you have questions, please contact Anne Holsinger at aholsinger@deathpenaltyinfo.org. 

DPI strongly encourages applications from historically disadvantaged groups, including Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and women. 

How To Apply
Applications are due by November 21st, 2025. If you wish to apply, please send a cov­er let­ter not­ing your expe­ri­ence and/​or inter­est in cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment (includ­ing pre­ferred hours) and a resume in a sin­gle PDF to internships@​deathpenaltyinfo.​org. Please address your cov­er let­ter to Anne Holsinger, DPI’s Managing Director. Include ​“Research and Data Intern” in the email subject line.

Intern, Intake Program (Spring)
Location: Washington, DC
Scholarship Amount: $2,585
Closing Date: November 24, 2025 at 5pm

This internship is for Spring 2026 and will be 12 weeks in duration. Interns at Legal Aid DC have the unique opportunity to receive substantive assignments that will have an immediate impact on our clients. Legal Aid will help Spring semester interns receive course credit for their internships. Interns work primarily out of Legal Aid’s offices in NW DC, with the option to perform some work remotely if approved by their supervisor. Interns may also work out of our SE office based on organizational needs. Spring interns should expect to work at least 12 hours per week.

The Intake Intern will be part of the Intake Unit and assist in conducting and processing intakes received from Applicants. The Intake Intern will also assist with other tasks assigned by various staff across all of Legal Aid’s practice areas, including, but not limited to composing letters, review assigned court dockets for follow up action; file court documents electronically or in person, assist with document gathering and organization, request interpreters for scheduled meetings, and request document translations through third party provider and provide support to various outreach partnership events. The Intake Intern will be expected to be able to work independently; however, support and supervision will be provided by the Intake Program Director and a member of the Intake Unit.

Responsibilities:

• Provide client intake support by receiving and processing inquiries and requests for assistance across all of Legal Aid’s practice areas.
• Provide administrative support across all of Legal Aid’s practice areas.
• Assist in developing Intake material for internal use.
• Interact with clients, witnesses, and experts to gather information and provide support as needed.
• Collaborate with staff from across all Legal Aid’s practice areas

IRC internships give interns the opportunity to work directly with humanitarian immigrants to support them in accomplishing tasks needed to live successfully in the U.S. We offer 13 unique internships that provide a wide variety of opportunities to gain direct exposure to the humanitarian sector.

The IRC was founded at the behest of Albert Einstein in 1933 to assist people fleeing from persecution. Since then, the IRC has grown and works all over the world providing humanitarian support. In Silver Spring, the IRC works with newcomers to help them get situated and become self-sufficient members of their new community.  

I’ve listed the titles and a description of each internship that is recruiting below. You can find the full description by going to the IRC Careers page and filtering by City (Silver Spring) and Employee Category (Intern). Prospective interns will use the same link to apply.

·       Anti-Trafficking: The Anti-Trafficking Intern will work in close coordination with the case management teams to serve survivors of human trafficking who are struggling to navigate various systems to access resources and services.

·       Walk-In Casework: This team provides 8 months of case management to humanitarian immigrants. The services include providing monthly cash assistance, ensuring that clients apply for public benefits such as Medicaid, ensuring that clients apply for social security and enroll in health insurance and ESL classes. 

·       Economic Development:  The Economic Empowerment program assists refugees to become economically self-sufficient by providing career development training and financial coaching. This program assists clients in obtaining education, apprenticeships, jobs, financial coaching and microloans to promote self-sufficiency. The intern will work closely with the Economic Empowerment team to help promote client economic growth and encourage clients to work towards their long-term goals.  

·       Community Engagement: The aim of community engagement is to establish strong, mutually beneficial connections between the community and the IRC in Silver Spring order to garner monetary, in-kind and volunteer resources for refugee clients. The community engagement intern supports the administration of the family mentor program.

·       Development: The development team focuses on securing funding for IRC offices; assisting with donor prospecting, research, data collection and grant management activities.

·       Refugee Barrier Reduction: IRC programming assists refugees to become economically self-sufficient and supports acclimatization within the United States by providing access to casework services. This role will support the IRC’s economic empowerment program in effectively reducing the barriers of humanitarian migrants to achieve self-sufficiency in the United States.

·       Refugee Economic Empowerment: The Economic Empowerment program assists refugees to become economically self-sufficient by placing recently arrived refugees in their first job in the United States.

·       Refugee Employment and Skill-Building: The Refugee Employment and Skill-Building Program aims to reduce barriers to self-sufficiency and employment and assist refugees to secure full-time employment. 

·       Operations: IRC’s Operations Team supports operations functions and provides related administrative support, resulting in a well-functioning, compliant environment for staff, clients, and partners. This is a challenging position that requires strong organization, creative problem-solving, personal initiative, and the ability to work well in a multicultural and fast -paced environment.

·       Refugee Walk-in Services: The Intake program is the first point of contact to all “walk-in” clients that visit the IRC in Silver Spring. We provide fast track enrollment in public benefits and referrals to internal and/or external resources and programs as needed. 

·       Extended Case Management: The Extended Case Management (ECM) team provides case management services to up to 400 new clients each year. The team works directly with humanitarian immigrants resettling in the DC Metro area, including Latin American, African, and Middle Eastern individuals; utilizing a holistic 2Gen household approach for the families served, the team addresses both short-term and long-term barriers to support overall well-being in the US.

·       Refugee Health and Social Integration: The refugee health and social integration intern will work in close coordination with the case management teams to serve refugees and other immigrants who are struggling to navigate various systems to access resources and services.

·       Youth Intern Program: The IRC’s Refugee School Impact Programs and Refugee Youth Mentoring Programs work to support the integration and holistic wellbeing of school aged students who hold a humanitarian immigration status. The overall goals of the mentoring and impact programs are to reinforce a sense of belonging and security within schools and surrounding communities, build students’ confidence in their English and academic abilities, and help student develop graduation and career plans tailored to their unique interests and skills.

All selected interns must undergo and clear a background and reference check in order to intern with the Silver Spring office. We ask that candidates make a $30 donation to help us cover the associated costs. Currently, 87% of our funding goes directly to programming to support our clients, and your help to cover this cost will ensure that no funding is directed away from serving our clients. Instructions will be provided after you have been selected to intern or volunteer. The IRC is not able to sponsor visas.  

The ability to work in-person at least one day per week is required. Internships require a minimum commitment of 15 hours per week. Spring interns are expected to begin their internship by attending an in-person intern orientation on January 26th, 2026, from 9:15AM-3:30PM. The Fall internship terms ends on May 15th, 2026. Please note, the deadline to apply for Spring 2026 internships is January 5, 2026.

Internships with the IRC in Silver Spring are unpaid. Spring 2026 interns may be eligible for per diem reimbursement at the rate of $15/day to offset the costs of food and travel. For information on scholarship opportunities, contact your university or the IRC Silver Spring Community Engagement Coordinator at Michalina.Kulesza@rescue.org.

We currently offer internships during the following semesters: 
Spring: January – May 
Summer: June– August 
Fall: September – December 
Internships are typically posted 2-3 months prior to the anticipated start date. 

Thank you for your attention and please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions.

Sincerely,

Michalina Kulesza, M.P.A (she/her) | Community Engagement Coordinator

International Rescue Committee

8737 Colesville Road Suite 1200, Silver Spring, MD 20910

T + 1 518 965 3400 

Like/follow the IRC in Silver Spring on Facebook.

Meet with me!