Commuting to an unpaid internship? Here’s $$$

By Rachel Stengel
Since last year, the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences (SLAS) has been providing scholarships of up to $500 for students registered for unpaid internships for credit.
Applicants must be either juniors or seniors, and have at least a 2.75 GPA.
“The whole idea is that you’re making an investment in yourself with an internship, and you’re hoping that the time and the money you put into the internship now will pay off in the end,” Moore said. “Students are investing a lot of time and money into these internships, so we hope this will encourage more people to seek internships.”
More than 15 students have been awarded this scholarship and most have received the full $500, Moore said. In order to apply, students must fill out an application, which can be picked up outside Moore’s office or found online. Recipients are selected three times during the year when a committee meets. The next meeting is Feb. 25.
Senior public relations major Katie Monti was awarded a $350 scholarship for her marketing internship at a start-up tech company called Purzue located about 45 minutes from Rider.

“I was very grateful for the scholarship because my internship was unpaid and the commute back and forth to the office got quite expensive,” Monti said. “The scholarship is a great idea. It gives students an incentive to work hard at their internships, where they are putting in many hours with no compensation.”
According to Moore, it was CLAES Dean Patricia Mosto’s vision to create this scholarship opportunity.
“She wanted it as a way to help students feel supported while getting internships,” Moore said. “It was her way of giving back to students who were willing to make that investment.”
Shauna Scarano, a senior marketing major, used her $500 scholarship to commute to New York for her internship at a public relations firm. She said she was grateful for the help from Rider and she understands the benefits of an internship.

“It was a process to apply, but nothing worthwhile comes too easily,” Scarano said. “You have to work for what you want and hope that the risks you took along the way result in greater rewards.”