If you’re a high school student in Tennessee looking to jumpstart your career with an internship, here are five strong options across different fields. Tennessee offers programs in STEM research, healthcare, space science, and more, where you work alongside professionals and build real-world skills. Note that dates and eligibility change each cycle, so confirm the current details with each program.
1. National Institutes of Health Summer Internships
Description: This program is for 11th and 12th graders interested in research and healthcare careers. Research groups are located on all NIH campuses, including the main campus in Bethesda, MD.
High school summer interns are selected by a central committee in each Institute or Center and placed in a research group under a Principal Investigator (PI). HS-SIP applicants should not contact NIH investigators directly about positions.
Eligibility: applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and:
- Be 17 or older by the program start date.
- Be enrolled in high school as a junior or senior when applying. U.S. citizens may apply if enrolled at least half-time; permanent residents must be enrolled in a U.S. high school.
- If under 18 at the start date, live within 40 miles of the NIH campus where you’ll intern.
The application typically closes in mid-February, with reference letters due about a week later. Check the official site for the current cycle’s exact dates.
2. Next Generation STEM Internships Program
Description: The Next Generation STEM Internship Program (NGSI) lets juniors, seniors, and recent graduates from accredited high schools or home school programs in Anderson, Blount, Knox, Loudon, Roane, and Sevier counties work on STEM projects with researchers and professional staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
Program benefits:
- Weekly stipend
- The chance to learn from world-renowned scientists and engineers
- Optional professional development: workshops, lab tours, lectures, poster sessions, seminars, and networking
Eligibility:
- U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident at the time of application
- Rising junior/senior, or a recent graduate (within two years of graduation, not yet enrolled in college), in good standing at an accredited high school or home school program in one of the eligible counties
- At least 16 years old by the time of appointment
- Minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0
3. Next Generation Pathways to Computing Program
Description: The Next Generation Pathways to Computing Program (NGP) is for rising high school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates from accredited high schools or home school programs in Anderson, Blount, Knox, Loudon, and Roane counties. Students learn foundational computer and computational science skills, mentored by ORNL research and technical staff, building toward careers in computing.
Program benefits:
- Weekly stipend of up to $500 based on 40 hours per week
- The chance to learn from world-renowned scientists and engineers
- Optional professional development: workshops, lab tours, lectures, poster sessions, seminars, and networking
- Lunch stipend
- Transportation to and from ORNL available
Eligibility:
- U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident at the time of application
- Rising junior/senior, or a recent graduate (within two years of graduation, not yet enrolled in college), in good standing at an accredited high school or home school program in one of the eligible counties
- At least 16 years old by the time of appointment
- Minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0
4. Vanderbilt University: Research Experience for High School Students
Description: The Research Experience for High School Students (REHSS) is an intensive six-week research internship at Vanderbilt University for rising seniors. Students are fully immersed in a Vanderbilt research lab and work on an independent project under a faculty mentor.
Eligibility: high school seniors (rising).
Focus: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
5. Bank of America Student Leaders
Description: As a Student Leader, you complete an eight-week paid internship at a local nonprofit, learning firsthand about your community’s needs and the role nonprofits play. You also attend the Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., where you learn how government, business, and the nonprofit sector work together to address community needs.
Eligibility:
- Currently a junior or senior in high school
- Legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship through the end of the program
- Able to do an eight-week paid internship at a local nonprofit, working 35 hours a week
- Able to attend the week-long Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. (all expenses paid, counted within the eight weeks)
- A student in good standing at your school
- Permanently residing in one of the eligible markets
- Not previously selected for the program (you may reapply if not selected before and you still meet the criteria)
- Bank of America employees and their immediate family are not eligible
For more on how to land this one, see my detailed guide to the Bank of America Student Leaders program:
Conclusion
To learn how to get into very selective internships, watch this video where Rishab Jain, a Harvard student, breaks down how to land an internship:
Leave a Reply