UIC Heritage Garden logo of hands holding a sun towards the sky with arms that turn into roots of different brown tones. The name of the internship program creates a green canopy over the hands.

Call for applications

The UIC Heritage Garden Student Group is currently seeking upcoming Sophomore and Junior undergraduate UIC students, (or undergraduate students that can potentially be part of this internship at least up to six semesters) for the Summer 2026 Garden Intern positions, including ONE UIC student for a photography & media internship position.

The UIC Heritage Garden is a project of the seven Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC) and receives funding from the UIC Sustainability Fund. The goal of the UIC Heritage Garden is “to create an educational space that connects horticulture to cultural diversity, environmental sustainability, and social justice.” Interns will assist with a variety of projects to support this goal. Interns will have the opportunity to continue with the UIC Heritage Garden program through fall and spring if they complete all aspects of the summer program in a satisfactory manner. There is potential to advance to a leadership position the following summer, fall and spring.  We also seek to hire one photography/media intern (see photography & media position application, available on website).

This is a paid internship and interns receive up to $3,900 for the summer over 12 weeks.

The program will provide a camera for the Photo/Media Intern to use when in the UIC campus.

Download the applications here

Or access a PDF of the applications by clicking on the following titles: Garden Intern Application PDF and Photo and Media Interns Application PDF.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Seeking to build/expand their social and environmental justice toolkit

  • Responsible

  • Committed

  • Excellent oral and written skills 

  • Ability to work in a team and independently

  • Creative thinking 

  • Willing to build leadership skills

  • Ability to handle simultaneous projects

  • Willing to learn and engage in different subject areas 

  • Empathetic

  • Photo/Media Intern: photography, website maintenance, and social media skills. This intern will also be participating in general internship activities alongside the other interns, but this student’s main responsibilities will be photography & media documentation.

Students with experience in the following areas will be highly considered: program development, group communication, community outreach, research, and gardening. However, students with little to no experience in some of these areas are encouraged to apply. 

ELIGIBILITY 

  • Interns must be available to work 18 hours a week beginning May 26th through August 14th, with a week-long unpaid break between July 6th to July 10th. In order to be eligible for the internship, individuals must be available for the full 11 paid weeks. With respect to the absence, see previous syllabi for past attendance policies.

  • Interns must participate in ALL the activities outlined in the program syllabus. Please refer to the previous program syllabus on the UIC Heritage Garden website for the list of activities. You can find the syllabi at http://heritagegarden.uic.edu/syllabi

  • Interns must have good academic standing, including a GPA of at least 2.5.

  • The UIC Heritage Garden internship is open to DACA recipients and RISE Act* eligible students (look below for more information on RISE act eligible students).

UIC Heritage Garden students standing on the garden beds near SCE breaking up the soil with shovels and pitchforks.

UIC Heritage Garden students standing on the garden beds near SCE breaking up the soil with shovels and pitchforks.

Summer 2026 Schedule

Dates

  • May 26th – August 14th, 2026 (11 paid weeks)

  • With unpaid, one week break July 6th – July 10th 

Times

  • Monday to Friday between 10 am to 2 pm*

*We may need to make modifications to the schedule based on: the health and safety of all our participants, including having in-person and online components; collaboration with an artist; field trips to different sites across the Chicago-land area. The internship is 18 hours a week, so you will be working Monday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm, with 30 minute scheduled, unpaid lunch break each day.

Application process and timelines

Applications for the 2026 Summer Internships are DUE March 1st by 11:59pm. Submit a digital copy of your application along with your resume to the UIC Heritage Garden email heritagegarden.uic@gmail.com. Email subject should read “Summer 2026 Application (Your Name).”

If you are applying for the Photography and Media position, also provide your portfolio in a PDF (in addition to the application and resume) to the same email as above. Email subject should read “Summer 2026 Photo and Media Application (Your Name).”

If you are a RISE Act eligible student who does not have DACA, please get in touch with us by email (heritagegarden.uic@gmail.com) and read the information below the section titled “RISE Act Eligibility.”

Following application review, we will email a selected group of applicants by mid-March to participate in individual virtual interviews after spring break. Applicants who are invited for an interview will be asked to upload their resume and apply through Handshake starting on March 17, 2026. The job will be open until March 20, 2026.

These selected applicants will also be expected to turn in a letter of recommendation from a faculty member, advisor, or employer by Monday, March 30th at 11:59 pm to heritagegarden.uic@gmail.com. The letter of recommendation is not required for your initial application submission. The guidelines for the letter of recommendation will be provided through email correspondence.

If you have any questions about the internship and/or application, please email us at heritagegarden.uic@gmail.com or call us at 312-996-3143, Monday & Wednesday 10 am - 5pm, and Friday 10 am - 3 pm.

RISE Act Eligibility*

Please get in touch with us if you are RISE act eligible, but do not have DACA, as there are some differences you should know about as you consider applying. RISE act students are eligible for tuition awards instead of bi-weekly student pay. The award is disbursed after the program, in the Fall and Spring semesters if enrolled in classes. Since the tuition award is not on a student pay schedule, it will be processed through financial aid and applied to a balance in the student account when enrolled in classes. It can either be processed as a tuition award or nonrestrictive award depending on the student’s financial aid account, if it is nonrestrictive, more paperwork will be required with additional processing time.

To know if you are RISE act eligible please check https://www.isac.org/students/before-college/financial-aid-planning/retention-of-illinois-rise-act/

For more information about the RISE act please go to the UIC Page for Resources for Undocumented Students: https://dream.uic.edu/

or the UIC Financial Aid page on the Rise Act: https://financialaid.uic.edu/aid-process/illinois-rise-act/