12 Humanities Internships for High School Students
Humanities is a vast realm, with subjects like history, literature, philosophy, the arts, languages, and more forming the core. Apart from theoretical concepts, the humanities have a lot to offer in their practical applications, and an internship during high school will allow you to explore them.
An internship can help figure out your options while you gain practical experience. Exploring the humanities in a practical setting will further help you understand the world better.
The wide range of subjects encompassed in humanities means that you will have multiple career options. Depending on your interests, you can apply for an internship you find interesting to expand your worldview, improve your skills, build knowledge, and boost your university applications. To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of 12 humanities internships for high school students.
1. Ladder Internships—Media and Journalism Track
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: High school students able to work for 5-15 hours/week for 8-16 weeks
Application Deadline: Summer cohort (regular admission 1): April 14, 2024 | Summer cohort (regular admission 2): May 12, 2024
Dates: The summer 2024 cohort starts on June 3 and runs till August. Multiple cohorts run throughout the year.
Cost: Starts at $1,990 (financial aid available)
Founded by Harvard alumni, the Ladder Internships program annually accepts 100 applicants, pairing them with startups and nonprofits across the world for virtual internship opportunities. Some of these organizations include Softenmind, JuneBrain, IPMD, Fair Opportunity Project, and Billion Dollar Startup Ideas. Students in the program can choose the industry and field they wish to intern in – such as media or journalism. Companies are spread across tech, computer science, business development, healthcare tech and more.
As a Ladder intern, you will work closely with your startup manager, and with a Ladder coach who will help you navigate the professional environment. You will work on a project that’s of genuine importance to the organization, and present your work at the end of the program. This internship includes 1-on-1 sessions with your mentor, training sessions and soft skill development.
Location: Washington, D.C. / Virtual / Hybrid / other locations available based on position
Eligibility: High school seniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Application Deadline: Varies based on position
Program Dates: Varies based on position
Stipend: Paid (amount varies based on position)
The Smithsonian Office of Internship Programs offers a number of opportunities for high school students. Some you can consider in the field of humanities include:
Youth Ambassador Program: This is a nationwide initiative designed for high school seniors about to graduate. It is designed to create the next generation of socially-conscious leaders in the Latino community, with a focus on fields like the arts, sciences, and humanities, with the wealth of the Smithsonian Institution’s resources. The program also provides training in leadership and community building skills. Students also get the chance to attend a week-long educational seminar in Washington, DC at the Smithsonian, and work at museums and cultural institutions across 18 US cities and Puerto Rico.
Benjamin Lawless Internship: This internship offers an opportunity for students to work in the fields of art and art history, cataloging, collections management, education, exhibits, public affairs and social media and research and analysis. As an intern, students will work on audience engagement, exhibition design, and identifying collections and artifact collectors of artifacts through the academic lens, while participating in a structured educational experience. This intensive internship also encourages students to present their work in a format of their choice at the end of the program.
3. Library of Congress High School Summer Internship Program
Location: Hybrid
Eligibility: Current high school students. In-person interns must be available to come into the Library once a week during the program.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in April.
Program Dates: The internship is typically held over June and July.
Stipend: N/A
The Library of Congress High School Summer Internship Program is an opportunity for high school students to explore and work at the world’s largest library. This prestigious internship allows students to gain hands-on experience at this well-established cultural institution, glimpse into the Library’s vast collections, assist with research projects and engage with experts from various disciplines.
Students can expect to build a solid foundation in exhibition development and research related to history and archives. This summer experience aims to spark curiosity, foster academic growth, and open doors to future opportunities in the world of knowledge and culture.
4. New-York Historical Society’s Student Historian Internship Program
Location: New York Historical Society, New York, NY
Eligibility: High school students entering grades 10, 11, or 12 can apply. Applicants must live in and attend school in the New York City metro area (includes the five boroughs of New York City, as well as areas of New York State, Connecticut, and New Jersey).
Application deadline: April 7, 2024
Program dates: July 9, 2024 - August 15, 2024
Stipend: Interns who attend a Title 1 School or are eligible for free or reduced lunch will be offered a stipend to participate. Unpaid internships will be provided for all other accepted students, with the option to receive community service hours or school credit. Participation in this program can be used to fulfill the extracurricular requirement for the NYSED Seal of Civic Readiness.
The New-York Historical Society’s Student Historian Internship Program provides students with access to the society’s resources to conduct research and express and spread their knowledge through creative digital projects. Interns will attend meetings with professional mentors and work collaboratively with their peers on hands-on projects. Research and learning opportunities will primarily revolve around history, the museum and the library, and digital humanities, specifically on the theme of Our Composite Nation: Frederick Douglass’ America. During the internship, students will participate in informative sessions with industry experts, gaining insight into the realms of museums, libraries, digital humanities, and history. Additionally, interns actively engage in hands-on activities that will deepen their grasp of American history and the digital humanities. Students will be able to develop their communication, critical and historical thinking, and digital media skills through this internship.
5. National Archives High School Internship
Location: Location: Varies with the internship position. IL, MI, IA, GA, or Washington, D.C.
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old and are U.S. citizens
Application Deadline: Applications close for summer internships in March. Fall and spring internships are also available.
Program Dates: Late May/early June - August (10-40 hours/week for 10 weeks)
Stipend: This is an unpaid internship.
The National Archives is a federal agency responsible for cataloging and storing documents of various significant historical events and making them publicly accessible. Internships at the National Archives involve opportunities in various departments, with relevant ones including archival processing, communications and marketing, editorial, digitizing archival materials, education and exhibits, history, external affairs and public relations, museums and public programs, reference services, and special events.
Interns will get a chance to explore the agency’s archives, conduct research, improve communication skills, and work on important projects and tasks for their respective departments.
6. Summer Internship Program at Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Location: New York, NY / Hybrid / Remote
Eligibility: High school students can apply to some internships, so make sure to check which ones you are eligible for.
Application Deadline: Applications usually close in late March.
Program Dates: June-August, with flexible start and end dates
Stipend: $16 per hour
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a non-profit public charity dedicated to improving American history education for both K-12 learners and the general public. The institute routinely provides a host of internship opportunities for high school students, allowing them to gain experience in museum collection management, education programming, and nonprofit operations.
Current offerings for high school students include internships in the Citizenship Project, Hamilton Education Program, History School, and Teacher Seminars. Internships are also updated throughout the year, so make sure to keep checking the page for relevant internships!
7. L.A. Times High School Insider Summer Internship
Location: Hybrid (online on Thursday + L.A. Times office, El Segundo, CA on Monday-Wednesday). The on-site internship is a commuter program.
Eligibility: High school students graduating in 2024, 2025, or 2026
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in February.
Dates: June 17, 2024 - August 2, 2024 (24 hours a week for 7 weeks)
Stipend: $16.90 per hour
The L.A. Times High School Insider Summer Internship is a prestigious opportunity for aspiring journalists and reporters. Around 8-10 selected interns will get to cover breaking news, craft feature enterprise stories, and experiment with multimedia storytelling. Interns will receive support and training from mentors who are professional journalists themselves. Multiple workshops are also held throughout the internship.
Intern responsibilities primarily include reaching out to potential sources through text, email, or social media, scheduling interviews with them in a timely manner, drafting stories with multimedia elements, and making edits and revisions.
8. Bank of America Student Leaders Internship
Location: Multiple locations in the country, followed by a one-week residential Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C.
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors with U.S. work authorization and permanent residence in any eligible location
Application Deadline: Applications for 2024 are now closed. Keep checking the program page in the fall for applications for 2025.
Dates: June-July (8 weeks). The summit will be held on July 22-27, 2024.
Stipend: Hourly rate (amount unspecified) + fully funded trip to the Student Leaders Summit
Bank of America’s Student Leaders Internship is designed for community-minded high school students. The program annually connects 300 students from over 100 communities to skills development and employment, giving them leadership training and work experience. Selected interns are mainly connected with local non-profits Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Habitat for Humanity.
Through this internship, students learn how nonprofits, businesses, and governments work together to meet local needs. Students will further develop civic, social, and business leadership skills. The Student Leaders Summit will provide additional opportunities to learn from professionals and network with peers.
9. High School Internships at The Met
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10 and 11 in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut
Application Deadline: Applications for summer internships close in March.
Dates: July 8, 2024 - August 9, 2024. School-year internships are also available.
Stipend: $1,100
The Met’s high school internships provide students with a chance to build skills and a network and gain work experience by interacting and connecting with art, museums, and creative professionals. Interns will further get to attend a reception, bootcamp (training and workshops), Teen Fridays, Career Labs, biweekly check-ins, and a final event to present their insights and experiences.
Multiple departments provide high school internships, such as communications and marketing, conservation and research, development, publications and editorial, curatorial, education, MetLiveArts, and special events.
10. City Limits CLARIFY Internship Program
Location: Virtual, with occasional commuting to certain NYC locations
Eligibility: NYC high school juniors, seniors, and graduating seniors
Application Deadline: The applications for summer 2024 cohorts will open soon. Keep checking the Apply page to find out the dates.
Dates: To be announced. The summer 2023 program took place for 10 days in July.
Stipend: $500
CLARIFY, or the City Limits Accountability Reporting Initiative for Youth, is an internship opportunity with NYC’s oldest non-profit investigative news agency. The program aims to empower students through public service journalism, amplify civic engagement, increase news and media literacy, and improve research, writing, and interviewing skills.
Interns will receive training in multiple aspects of reporting and news writing, such as research, investigative techniques, interviewing, media ethics, story structure, photojournalism, drafting, and more. The internship further includes working with City Limits reporters on local news stories.
11. Project Write Now Teen Internship Program
Location: Virtual / Monmouth County, NJ
Eligibility: High school students aged 15-18
Application Deadline: June 17, 2024
Dates: June-August (3 months)
Stipend: This is an unpaid internship but students will receive community hours.
The Project Write Now Teen Internship Program provides the following internship opportunities:
Teaching Assistant: Interns will teach writing to children in youth summer programs under the supervision of instructors, with training provided for designing lesson plans.
Editorial Assistant: Interns will assist in several editorial projects for PWN teen programming by creating marketing and blog content while also helping manage the organization’s online young adult literary magazine, Bridge Ink.
The Interview Project: Interns will find stories, interview sources, conduct research, and write a compelling narrative for publication.
Each internship selects only 10 students.
12. Stanford’s Science, Humanities, Engineering, Technology, and Math (SHTEM) Summer Internship
Location: Virtual
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in February.
Dates: June 17, 2024 - August 9, 2024
Stipend: This is an unpaid internship, but stipends may be provided based on financial need.
Stanford University’s Stanford Compression Forum is a collaboration between academic and industrial leaders in the fields of Data Compression. This is a unique opportunity that allows students interested in the humanities to directly contribute to conversations in STEM and participate in hands-on projects to emphasize the inseparability between the humanities and STEM research.
Interns will be grouped with fellow students and professional mentors. Groups will then work on projects in themes like the arts, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, the science of information and communication, neuroscience, design, and more.
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs!
This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper in a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from.
You can find the application link here!
Looking for an immersive internship experience?
Check out Ladder Internships!
Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program where students work with startups and nonprofits from around the world! The startups range across a variety of industries, including the humanities. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship. Apply now!
Stephen is one of the founders of Ladder Internships and a Harvard College graduate.