Upcoming Opportunities for Students (March/April 2022)

Time for City students to “spring” into this month’s opportunities!

As we start the spring season, hundreds of agencies, companies, and community organizations across New York City are seeking thousands of K–12 students for various paid and unpaid opportunities across the five boroughs, including jobs, internships, virtual learning events, scholarships, workshops, and more. Thanks to City agencies like the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), and the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), as well as organizations like the Aspen Institute, the Paley Center, and Columbia University, City students have an impressive range of learning experiences to consider that will help them explore their interests and possibly even put a little money in their pockets!

Below, you will find a list of opportunities that are available to NYC students throughout the remainder of March and the first couple of weeks of April 2022; check out these suggested programs, and please use the information placed in each listing to learn more.

Opportunities for Students Available in March/April 2022

The opportunities below are ordered by their listed submission/registration deadline dates, with the most urgent deadlines listed first. All in-person events, workshops, and trainings are subject to visitor and masking/vaccine guidelines—for more information, please refer to each site’s website in the links below.

Understand Your Financial Aid Options (via Zoom)

For students in grades 10–12
Event will take place virtually (via Zoom) on March 23, 2022

Registration deadline: March 23, 2022

Hosted by the DOE’s Division of Multilingual Learners (DML) and facilitated by DML/CUNY Immigrant Ambassadors, this workshop will provide attending students with a better understanding of financial aid for college, including free money, borrowed money, and earned money. Students will also learn how to access financial aid resources that are most accessible to immigrant and undocumented students. This workshop will be held in both English & Mandarin.

Register for this virtual workshop by completing our meeting registration form.

Gain a Better Understanding of the NYS Dream Act (via Zoom)

For students in grades 10–12
Event will take place virtually (via Zoom) on March 31, 2022, 10:00–11:00 a.m.

Registration deadline: March 30, 2022

Brought to you by the DOE’s Division of Multilingual Learners, and facilitated by DML/CUNY Immigrant Community Ambassadors, this workshop provides students with information about the NYS Dream Act, including eligibility requirements. Students will also learn how immigrant students can gain access to financial aid for higher education. The workshop will be held in both English and Spanish.

For more information, check out this workshop’s flyer, and register online by completing the event’s official meeting registration form before the event on March 31.

Explore STEM This Summer via AI4All

For students entering grades 10–12 in fall 2022
Program runs June 27–July 15, 2022

Application deadline: March 31, 2022

Columbia University’s AI4All Summer Program introduces high school students to the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Open to students entering grades 10-12 in September 2022, AI4All targets students who come from communities historically-excluded from AI instruction (Black, Latinx, Indigenous, low-income, women, etc.). Students will learn the fundamentals of AI and how it can be applied to social work. No coding or AI experience is necessary.

To learn more about the AI4All program, visit Columbia University’s program website.

Become a Culinary Arts Intern This Summer

For students in grades 9–12
Program runs July 5–August 26, 2022

Application deadline: April 1, 2022

Want to know what it’s like to work in the culinary arts?

The DOE’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services is offering high school students a paid internship within their agency. Open to students who are currently enrolled in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at a City high school, this internship is for students who would like to pursue culinary arts as a profession and contribute to the overall goal of feeding the children of New York City.

Check out NYCCTE’s flyer to learn more about the opportunity and eligibility requirements.

Join Theater Camp at the Wooster Group Summer Institute

For students who are 12–17 years old
Camp runs July 11–30, 2022

Application deadline: April 1, 2022

Join the Wooster Group Summer Institute for a free three-week theater camp for New York City public school students! In this program, students study movement, voice, acting, script-writing, and other aspects of performance. Students also work closely with award-winning professional actors and directors to create an original performance for an invited audience. No prior acting experience is required. Lunch and MetroCards will be provided.

To learn more, visit the Wooster Group’s Summer Institute webpage, and complete and submit your Wooster Group Summer Institute NYC 2022 application.

Become an OEM Commissioner for a Day

For students in grades 9–12
Ceremony takes place on May 19, 2022

Application deadline: April 1, 2022

Think you have what it takes to become New York City’s commissioner for the Office of Emergency Management (OEM)?

All City high school students are invited to participate in OEM’s second-ever “Commissioner for a Day” essay contest. Entrants must submit an original essay and complete the contest application. OEM’s Commissioner will then select the student who will be invited to OEM headquarters to participate in a Commissioner for a Day Award Ceremony and engage with subject matter experts about OEM’s day-to-day work.

To learn more about this opportunity and access the application, check out OEM’s Essay Contest overview.

Become an Apprentice with the Office of Food and Nutrition Services

For students in grades 9–12
Program runs July 5–August 26, 2022

Application deadline: April 1, 2022

Gain valuable experience in the food service industry by participating in the Office of Food and Nutrition Services Summer Apprenticeship Program. Through this paid internship opportunity, participating high school students will gain knowledge related to food and nutrition as they assist with the service of meals across the five boroughs. Students selected for the program will work close to where they live—if travel is required, a MetroCard will be provided. Students who reside in Staten Island, the Bronx, and Manhattan will receive enrollment priority.

Learn more about the Summer Apprenticeship Program through OFNS’ Summer Apprenticeship Program announcement page.

For students in grade 8
Program runs from July 5–August 5, 2022

Application deadline: April 2, 2022

Calling all eighth grade students! If you are fascinated by legal TV shows, or ever thought that you could be a great lawyer or a credible witness, consider applying for Legal Outreach’s Summer Law Institute (SLI). Through SLI, students will learn about law and the criminal justice system, meet attorneys, go on field trips to legal institutions, and even participate in a mock trial before a real judge! This five-week program for rising ninth graders will introduce you to new friends from other schools, expose you to positive and successful role models, and push you to see yourself as a young professional in training.

The program runs from July 5–August 5, 2022. To learn more about this program, including application requirements, check out Legal Outreach’s SLI webpage, and apply directly on their page!

Become a Paid Intern for Teen Transmitters

For students currently in grades 10–11
Internship to take place July 5–August 5, 2022

Application deadline: April 11, 2022

Teen Transmitters at the Paley Center for Media is a 100-hour paid summer internship for City public high school students entering grades 11 and 12 in September 2022. What impact does media have on society? This is the essential question students will explore as a Teen Transmitter intern. Throughout the program, Teen Transmitter interns will take a deep dive into media literacy and explore how the words, sounds, and images they encounter every day make an impression on them. In addition to studying the media landscape, interns will find out what it means to be a media maker. Industry professionals, museum curators, journalists, documentarians, and podcast producers will be invited to speak to the students about their career paths and act as mentors over the course of the program. Interns will also gain skills in public speaking, interviewing, research, writing, and audio production that are crucial for college and career readiness. For their final project, interns will produce an original podcast series about their relationship to media.

To learn more about this internship opportunity, visit the Paley Center for Media’s webpage for the Teen Transmitter program.

Strengthen Your Language Skills with the Summer Intensive English Language Program (SIELP)

For multilingual learners in grades 10–11
Program runs Monday–Thursday, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
July 6–August 10, 2022

Application deadline: April 14, 2022

The DOE, in partnership with CUNY’s Hostos College, is providing multilingual and English language learners who are currently in grades 10 and 11 with the opportunity to strengthen their writing and critical thinking skills this summer with the college credit-granting Summer Intensive English Language Program (SIELP). Students who complete SIELP will obtain two college credits for use at Hostos College upon graduation from high school.

To learn more, check out SIELP’s flyer, speak with your guidance counselor or English teacher, and complete the SIELP Registration Form online. Please note that applicants will need to provide a copy of their high school transcript for consideration.

For students in grade 12

Application deadline: April 15, 2022

In partnership with the Stonewall Inn and the New York Yankees, the NYC Department of Education is offering five graduating NYC public high school students, one from each borough, one-time, $10,000 college scholarships in celebration of their strong academic achievement and impactful support of LGBTQ+ communities.

Visit the DOE’s LGBTQ+ Supports page for more details, including eligibility criteria, scholarship history, and contact information, and submit your application by Friday, April 15, 2022.

Get a Paid Job This Summer Through SYEP

For NYC youth who are 14–24 years old
Program runs 25 hours a week, July 5–August 13 OR July 11–August 20, 2022

Application deadline: April 22, 2022

Discover new career possibilities this summer by signing up for the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), the nation’s largest youth employment program. City youth between the ages of 14 and 24 can get paid work experiences this summer in structured project and work-based opportunities that help prepare them for future careers in a variety of industries across the five boroughs.

To learn more about SYEP, visit the Department of Youth and Community Development’s dedicated SYEP webpage. Note that students who are 14–17 years old must get an employment certificate, otherwise known as “working papers,” from their school. Visit our Working Papers page to learn more.

Attend Arts Audition Boot Camp This Summer

For students in grades 6–8
Program runs August 1–August 12, 2022

Application deadline: April 29, 2022

The Middle School Arts Audition Boot Camp is a free, in-person, two-week summer arts program for New York City public school students entering grade 8 in September 2022. The NYC DOE Office of Arts & Special Projects administers this program in collaboration with a group of leading cultural organizations: Lincoln Center, Weill Institute of Music at Carnegie Hall, Harlem School for the Arts, NY Philharmonic, Studio in a School, and Julliard. The goal of the program is to provide equity and access in preparation for screened public arts high schools and arts programs for 300 Title I middle school students interested in auditioning for a screened high school arts program. To learn more about this opportunity and access the application, visit the 2022 Middle School Arts Audition Boot Camp webpage(Open external link).

Win Scholarships by Creating Instagram and TikTok Videos for Science

For students who are 14–18 years old

Submission deadline: May 1, 2022

Help show how science can solve some of our most challenging community concerns by joining the Our Future is Science initiative! Created jointly by the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program and Coda Societies, the Our Future is Science initiative seeks to ignite a movement where youth across the U.S. draw connections between STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) fields and social justice. To help spread the word about STEAM and social justice, the initiative is seeking Instagram and TikTok-savvy high school students who can create a 60-second Instagram or TikTok video regarding ways that society could use science to solve community problems. Participating creators can even win scholarships and cash prizes!

Check out the Our Future is Science webpage to learn more about this campaign, and post your creations online by May 1, 2022!

Participate in the Zero Waste School Awards

For K–12 students

Submission deadline: May 6, 2022

DSNY is excited to announce that after a 2-year hiatus, the Zero Waste School Awards are back!

Students can win cash prizes, giveaways, and recognition for their schools while showing off all they are doing to reach zero waste. If you are a City student, consider participating in either the DSNY’s Commissioner’s Cup, Team Up To Clean Up, Reduce & Reuse, and/or Super Recyclers contests!

To learn more about the Zero Waste School Awards, visit the Zero Waste Schools “Announcements” page, and register for a Zero Waste Schools account.

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For more opportunities like these, keep an eye on our official Student Opportunities page, and subscribe to The Morning Bell below!

Have an opportunity available that you would like to share with City students and families? Consider submitting your info to us online!

Banner photo by cottonbro. Used under Creative Commons license. Original can be found on Pexels.