Internships Overview
Student Opportunities
The Bill Lane Center offers three kinds of student internship:
- The West Internship
- The Shultz Energy Fellowship
- The Environmental Journalism Internship
The West and Shultz opportunities are supported by a stipend to cover living expenses and financial aid, if applicable. They are offered during the summer quarter (see links to program details below).
The Environmental Journalism Internship is not supported by a stipend but can be taken for academic credit during all quarters of the academic year, including summer (see more details below).
Students interested in applying for any Bill Lane Center internship should join the email list to be the first to know when applications are available.
Cardinal Quarter Opportunities
Every summer, the Bill Lane Center for the American West offers many opportunities for Stanford undergraduates (including graduating seniors, co-terminal and master's students) to work with organizations throughout the West. Through these internships, students can explore careers in natural history, conservation, ecology, land use, museum curation, resource management, water, energy, literature, policy, politics, and more.
The Bill Lane Center offers two kinds of internship that are part of Cardinal Quarter opportunities, and students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. The opportunities are full-time (40 hours a week) for 9-10 consecutive weeks during the summer. Specific start and end dates can be coordinated directly with the internship organization's supervisor. All internships are fully funded by the Bill Lane Center with stipends ranging from $7,500 to $10,000.
The Bill Lane Center has placed over 250 interns in positions across the West since 2005. It has developed strong relationships with host organizations and works hard to ensure interns have successful and enriching experiences.
The two types of Cardinal Quarter internship offered by the Bill Lane Center are known as:
Click the links above to learn more about our many work opportunities at organizations across the West, including the Shultz energy-specific internships we co-sponsor with with Stanford’s Precourt Institute for Energy and Stanford in Government.
Application information for the Shultz Energy Fellowships can be found on the Explore Energy website.
The Haas Center will also have student cohort leaders planning social events in certain cities so please stay tuned for those summer regional events! There are hundreds of Stanford Alumni Clubs around the world and you are encouraged to reach out to the contact listed for the local chapter where your internship is based. Alumni are interested in staying connected with Stanford and, if there are summer activities, would be happy to include you.
For answers to frequently asked questions about the above Cardinal Quarter internships, please visit the FAQs page and/or email the Lane Center's education manager, Corinne Thomas.
Please note:
The financial aid office strongly recommends all the stipend recipients to set up direct deposit immediately if they have not done so.
A stipend is considered a resource and it may have an impact on a student’s financial aid. To comply with U.S. Department of Education regulations, student payments, awards, prizes, and gifts that are made available to the student because they are a Stanford student, must be reported to the Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Office is responsible for the disbursement of stipend funds to undergraduates.
- For more information, please visit the Financial Aid Office's webpage about the student stipend policy.
- The Financial Aid Office expects students to check their own eligibility for research stipends. Students can access their Financial Aid Notification/Award Letter by following the steps below:
- Log on to AXESS.
- At the top of the AXESS page, hover over STUDENT.
- Under Quick Links, select View financial aid notification.
- If the student’s award notification shows a remaining balance under “Student Responsibility,” then the student can be awarded an academic year stipend up to that total amount.
Environmental Journalism Internship
The Bill Lane Center also offers an Environmental Journalism Internship that is not granted a stipend, but which affords students three units of credit from Tom Hayden, director of Stanford's masters program in environmental journalism.
The environmental journalism intern will work with the Bill Lane Center’s writer in residence, Felicity Barringer, on an environmental journalism project. Editorial interns gain valuable journalistic experience by reporting and writing stories published to our "& the West" magazine. Check out some of the pieces written by previous interns.
To indicate interest in this program and get more information, please email Felicity at febarr [at] stanford.edu (febarr[at]stanford[dot]edu).
West Internship Application Details
Interested students can apply via the SOLO portal.
The selection process and timeline:
- Host organizations are confirmed during by early December and student applications are available on the SOLO portal by mid-December.
- The student application deadline will be Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 11:59pm for the summer 2025 opportunities.
- First-round interviews of selected students occur in February with Bill Lane Center staff.
- Finalists will have their applications forwarded to the host organizations that make the final selection decision.
- Students should know the selection decisions and internship placements prior to the start of spring break.
Required Application Materials:
The Bill Lane Center application includes specific questions and will also prompt students to submit:
- A cover letter describing their interest and experience
- A resume
- Two references (not letters of recommendation)
- An unofficial transcript (the most recent)
Cover Letters:
Students should address their cover letters to both the Bill Lane Center, that is funding and administering the internship, and to the organization to which they are applying.
The following three questions must be addressed in the cover letter:
- What are your motivations behind applying for this position?
- How will participating in this program further your academic and professional pursuits?
- Do you have any prior internship or relevant experience?
For more helpful application advice and tips on writing a cover letter, please visit the Bill Lane Center's FAQs page.
Please note:
- Students may apply to *no more* than three internships.
- Students' applications may be forwarded to additional host organizations at the discretion of the Bill Lane Center staff.
- Graduating seniors are eligible if they are graduating in spring quarter but not earlier, e.g., fall or winter quarter of that academic year.
The summer 2025 internship application deadline is Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 11:59pm.
Cardinal Quarter Certification
In partnership with the Haas Center for Public Service, students who complete any Bill Lane Center internship are eligible for a Cardinal Quarter certification.
Cardinal Quarter offerings are intensive, immersive, local, national and global public service experiences. The experiences provide students the opportunities to contribute to society, develop citizenship and professional skills, and realize Jane Stanford’s vision that with a Stanford education students “will become thereby of greater service to the public.”
Read more about the Cardinal Quarter program on the Cardinal Service website.
Students receive a notation on their transcript after completing all Cardinal Quarter requirements.