Application Now Open for Shepherd Poverty Scholars Program

Applications are now being accepted for the Shepherd Scholars internship program for the summer of 2023.

As a member institution of the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP), Baylor’s Office of Engaged Learning offers undergraduate students an opportunity to pursue internships throughout the United States in communities affected by material poverty. SHECP Scholars learn first-hand about the multiple dimensions of poverty in the United States by working for eight weeks alongside people and organizations that align with their professional interests—in healthcare, law, ministry, or economic and community development, for example—to help improve communities and empower people struggling under the weight of poverty.

This fully-funded internship allows Scholars either to live in community with other interns in cities across the US or to work remotely. SHECP Scholars also participate in an opening and closing conference, which equips them for their internship, allows them to reflect on and process their experiences, and invites them to present academic research and possibly prepare that research for publication. Continuing Baylor students are eligible to apply.

The internship will begin in early June and conclude in early August. Shepherd Scholars work with organizations that fit their academic program of study and professional goals in order to develop their experience and skills for future civic involvement and employment.

Prospective SHECP Scholars should have taken a course on poverty before the internship begins. Four relevant courses are available in Spring 2023, and students registered for one of these courses will be given priority in the application process:
            - PPS 4310-01 (Philanthropy & the Public Good)

            - PHI 4361 (Philanthropy & Social Change)

            - SOC 4v70 (Philanthropy & Social Change)

            - PPS 1100-02 (Poverty in Waco)

Application Process

The application is available here.

Prospective applicants must declare their intention to apply by notifying Dr. Daniel Benyousky (daniel_benyousky@baylor.edu) before December 1st. At that point, students will be furnished with a unique link to be used for uploading their application materials. Applications should be submitted before Thursday, December 8th at 11:59 pm.

Zoom Info Session + Language & Poverty Discussion

The SHECP team held an info session recently that consisted of a brief introduction to SHECP, including its mission and goals, and an overview the internship program. The session also hosted 3 alumni from the 2022 program who spoke about their internship experiences. You can find a recording of the info session here.

They also held a Language & Poverty event where panelists with expertise in sociolinguistics, journalism, and community engagement discussed how the language surrounding poverty influences and complicates their daily work and is addressed in their fields of study. This event showcases how SHECP is more than just an internship program and gives students the opportunity to get introduced to their networking and programming. You can find a link to the discussion here.