PARENTS & FAMILIES UPHOLD A PLACE OF BELONGING AT SAIC

“We support the Parent & Family Internship Fund because we recognize the value of Career and Professional Experience (CAPX) and the internship fund to make valuable professional opportunities available to all students.”

PAUL AND CATHY DRIFTMIER PARENTS OF A 2022 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

Philanthropy Spotlight

SAIC Parent & Family Council Internship Fund

Internships are essential to establishing a career: research shows that students with internship experience are 32 percent more likely to get a job offer in the months after graduation. Established in 2019, the Parent & Family Council (PFC) Internship Fund partners with the School’s Career and Professional Experience (CAPX) department to award $2,500 stipends to students with financial need, providing financial resources that help students pursue internships. Last year, PFC Internship Fund stipend recipient Mallory

Qiu (BFA 2023) worked at High Concept Labs, a Chicago-based nonprofit whose mission is to provide artist residencies across disciplines. Mallory shared, “Receiving support from the PFC fund helped ease the extra transportation and food expenses that come with the summer internship. It supported my full participation in the internship.” Mallory continues to intern at High Concept Labs and is excited to keep learning this academic year.

Our families are valued members of the SAIC community. Support from parents and families enables the School to shape and build a place of belonging and educational excellence for our citizen artists. Last year, SAIC’s parents and families contributed $146,401 and directed funding to areas aligned with student success such as wellness and internships. Internship support is a focus of SAIC’s Parent & Family Council (PFC). Each year, the PFC partners with CAPX to fund summer internships for students that might otherwise be unpaid. These internships are an important way to prepare and foster professional connections for students when they seek future employment. Last year the PFC raised $22,500 to sponsor nine internship stipends awarded by our CAPX program.

$146k