Columbia Central

Nancy Tom Endowed Internship Award

for continuing undergraduate and graduate students

The Nancy Tom Endowed Internship Award was established to assist in defraying tuition expenses for students completing an unpaid internship, and to provide a pathway for students to gain professional experience and position themselves for lifelong career success.

Deadline to Apply: August 09, 2024

• How to Apply

  Visit Internal Scholarships and click on APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS to access the Nancy Tom Endowed Internship Award application. Only complete scholarship applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the award committee. 
  

  Students must submit the following materials to make a complete Nancy Tom Endowed Internship Award application. There are five parts to the application:

  PART 1: RESUME

  Upload a one-page resume outlining career and academic highlights.

  Your resume must include your name and MyColumbia ID number in the upper right-hand corner of the first page. Please upload your resume in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format. 
  
  PART 2: ESSAY

  Upload a one-page essay outlining your career goals, prior experience, a list of internships you plan to apply to, and a brief description of how the Award would put an unpaid internship within reach.

  Your essay must include your name and MyColumbia ID number in the upper right-hand corner of the first page. Please upload your essay in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format. 

  PART 3: WORK SAMPLES

  Upload 3 samples of work relevant to your internship goals. If you have a completed portfolio, select three of your strongest pieces. If you do not yet have a portfolio, your work samples can include video, audio, images and/or text generated in or outside of your classes. Good examples of work can include documentation of projects, planning documents, writing samples, or website or social media screen grabs.

  You must submit your sample in one of the following formats:

  • Images: .jpg, .png, .gif
  • Video: .mov, .wmv, .flv
  • Audio: .mp3
  • Documents: .doc, .docx, .pdf

  Please Note: Upload size limit is 50MB.

  PART 4: INTERNSHIP DOCUMENTATION (OPTIONAL)

  Upload any internship offer letters or other documentation you have already received. It is not required that you have been offered an internship before applying, but this will expedite the administration of the award should you be selected.

  Please upload your documentation in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format.

  PART 5: LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION (OPTIONAL)

  One letter of recommendation from a faculty/staff member or a supervisor is optional but recommended. Note: Letters of recommendation may not be from an Internship and Career Advisor.

  Remember to contact your recommenders directly before providing their information on the application. Be sure to give recommenders as much time as possible to write the letters. Requests made at the last minute are often difficult to fulfill by the deadline.

   

  Access online applications through Internal Scholarships.

• About Nancy Tom
  Nancy Tom is a civic and volunteer leader, with a focus on Asian American issues, art and culture, immigration and social justice. She has been active as a painter, art collector, arts presenter, and independent curator, with a special focus on outsider art. Tom has been involved with special arts events for the City of Chicago and various Asian-American organizations and served as a Columbia College Chicago Trustee from 1996 to 2011. Among her many affiliations, she has served as a board member of the Illinois Humanities Council, and as a Cultural Committee member at the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs. Tom has received numerous awards and honors for her work. In 2013, she was named a White House Champion of Change for her work in the arts to create a more safe, equal, and prosperous future for their communities and the country.
• Award Terms
  • Application must be submitted by August 9, 2024 (11:59 pm) for review by the committee
  • Maximum amount of this one-semester award is up to $2,300, and is not renewable
  • Award is applied toward tuition only
  • Award amount may be reduced if students' financial aid awards that are restricted to paying tuition have met most of the tuition they were charged for the term
  • Students must have been enrolled full-time during the Spring 2024 semester and maintain full-time enrollment during the Fall 2024 semester
  • Graduate students enrolled in a 0 credit hour thesis continuance course are not eligible to receive award
  • Students registering their internships for three credits must be accepted for an internship by September 9, 2024. Students registering for zero credits or one credit must be accepted for an internship by October 11, 2024. Students are responsible for searching for and applying to internships, and recipients of the award are not guaranteed an internship. Students should work with an Internship and Career Advisor and may set up an appointment to do so through Handshake
  • Awards will be credited within 10 business days after students register their internship
  • The rules governing other sources of financial aid (federal, state, institutional and other grants, gifts or loans) will apply
  • Columbia College Chicago reserves the right to withhold the award in any year in which, at the sole discretion of the committee, suitable candidates cannot be found among applicants

IMPORTANT DATES