SMASH Rising

SMASH ACADEMY

SMASH RISING

From SMASH Academy to SMASH Rising:

A new take on internship preparation and early workplace exposure

SMASH Rising, a new take on internship preparation and workplace exposure, places teams of SMASH alumni at workplaces early in their college career. Our newest program provides alumni with a dedicated project manager supporting challenges being faced.

This is a paid internship for SMASH alumni entering their first, second, and third years of college putting the skills honed at SMASH Academy into action.

How SMASH Rising Works:

PARTNER

SMASH partners up with industry leaders.

BUILD A TEAM

SMASH carefully selects and prepares alumni teams and project managers.

SOLVE

For 5 weeks, alumni teams work together on-site, use Design & Prototype Thinking to solve real challenges facing our partners.

LEARN

Fridays are dedicated to professional development and civic engagement.

FUTURE

Collectively invest in the future of work.

Schedule:

Week 1: Onboarding

Week 2: Monday – Thursday onsite

Week 3: Monday – Thursday onsite

Week 4: Monday – Thursday onsite

Week 5: Monday – Thursday onsite

*Friday locations to be announced (Friday Seminar)

*Select sites will be seven weeks long

Friday Seminar:

Added learning will take place on Fridays through workshops, speakers and site visits. Each Friday Seminar will have a theme and a host site where pods will convene.

Project Manager:

Most sites will have an assigned Project Manager (hired and trained by SMASH) to support the pod throughout the experience, to liaise between the partner, and to ensure project goals are met.

Housing:

Like most internships, interns are required to find housing, plan for meals, and commute to and from sites. SMASH can help support interns to find housing, but it is ultimately interns’ responsibility to secure housing and financially plan for the summer. Please email rising@smash.org for more information.

Compensation:

$1,000 per week (depending on the site, this is either $5,000 total for 5 weeks or $7,000 total for 7 weeks)

SMASH Rising Impact

Decades of social science research shows that students – especially underrepresented students of color – retain knowledge better when they can connect to what they learn and apply it to the world around them.

SMASH Rising interns have created a banking app to teach children about personal finance, analyzed lab samples to identify potential biomarkers to detect cancer, and developed a strategy for a delivery company to reach underserved markets. Watch the video below to learn more about the SMASH Rising experience.

Meet the Scholars

SMASH Rising 2019

SMASH Rising 2018

2019 Partners

SCHEDULE TIME WITH US TO CHAT

Eligibility Requirements

Scholars must meet all of the requirements below in order to apply to SMASH Rising. Please reach out to rising@smash.org you need to discuss requirements further.

Year: Current high school senior (rising first-year college student), current first-year college student (rising second-year college student), current second-year college student (rising third-year college student)

Site: SMASH Alumnus (Berkeley, Davis, Morehouse, Stanford, UCLA)

Location: Reside in Atlanta, Bay Area, Los Angeles, Miami OR be willing to relocate for the entire duration of the SMASH Rising program

Passion: Excited to collaboratively work on a team, a desire to professionally strengthen critical thinking, public speaking, leadership and sense of social responsibility

Career: A career interest in business, technology, or research across a wide range of functions and industries

Application Deadline

The 2020 Rising Application opens on December 2, 2019 and closes on February 18, 2020.

2020 SMASH Rising Dates

Onboarding (training) dates: June 21 – June 26

June 21 – 23: Onboarding in Oakland

June 24: Travel day

June 25 – 26. Onboarding at each site

Onsite begins: June 28

5 week internship ends: July 24

7 week internship ends: August 7

If you have any eligibility questions, please email: rising@smash.org.

Supporting Research