The city’s only paid internship program for undocumented high school and college students, Beyond Rising, has its roots right here in the Bronx.
This summer’s cohort has over 50 participants — the largest yet — and is operated by the Oyate Group, a Bronx-based nonprofit working to alleviate poverty. For its summer program, participating students are earning $500 per week paid by the nonprofit while learning transferable job skills, making new social connections and starting to build a professional network.
Such opportunities are rare. “It’s not a secret” that undocumented students have few pathways to paid work, according to Alexander Reyes, program coordinator for the Oyate Group.
Interest in the paid internship program has steadily grown since its inception in 2022, Reyes told the Bronx Times. The first summer cohort had 22 students, a number that doubled in 2023. For this summer’s five-week program, Beyond Rising saw 1,800 applications for 50 slots.
New York City’s approximately 11,000 undocumented students have historically been excluded from city-run Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) and similar job opportunities, according to Reyes. Beyond Rising fills some of the gap with its internship program, which also runs during the academic year, giving more young people the opportunity to participate.
Depending on students’ interests and skills, they are placed for work in institutions throughout the city, including local media studio BronxNet and area colleges such as Fordham University, Lehman College and Columbia University’s Teachers’ College. Their work might include administrative tasks, front desk operations, research, photography or social media design. Students also participate in weekly mentorship, field trips and arts activities.
‘Warm and welcoming’
Any undocumented student in New York City between the ages of 16 and 20 can apply for Beyond Rising, said Reyes. The program requires a written application with questions about students’ interests, academic record, background and future plans. A committee selects the strongest applicants — and some, like 19-year-old Beatriz, return for multiple terms.
Beatriz told the Bronx Times that she was “the only one without an internship” during her senior year of high school. A mentor found out about Beyond Rising and recommended she apply.
The opportunity turned out to be perfect for Beatriz, who was seeking social growth as a self-admitted “non-social” person. Last year she worked with kids in a program at Fordham University, and this summer she works the front desk in the career center at Hostos, helping students connect to resume help and other resources.
The job has given Beatriz a “feeling of real-world” responsibility, she said.
This fall, she is heading to John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she plans to study criminology and hopes to eventually become a youth social worker.
Like Beatriz, Isatou, 18, was also “really discouraged” about the lack of opportunities for West African immigrants like her. But this summer, working in the career center at Hostos, she said she has learned a lot of transferable skills and made strong connections with the staff and students.
“Everyone is warm and welcoming,” said Isatou, who is headed to the City University of New York this fall.
She said she was worried at first about doing office work but has come to appreciate how her tasks — including Excel work and researching — will apply to almost any field, including her planned major of architecture or digital design. Isatou recently created a color-coded spreadsheet for Hostos students to inform them of local art and design events, workshops and jobs — a task that fit her own interests.
Isatou said she would recommend Beyond Rising to any other undocumented student who is “typically left out of things like this.”
‘Unique and talented’
This summer’s students are excelling in their work, said Reyes — and their boss agrees. Lisanette Rosario, director of the career services office at Hostos, had strong praise for her summer interns.
“They are amazing. It’s been wonderful,” Rosario told the Bronx Times.
Beyond Rising students come in highly motivated, she said. Although they may not have many practical skills yet, they are eager to learn and make their mark. Rosario said she especially depends on them to provide feedback on the website and other public materials from a student’s point of view.
“They’re all very unique and talented in different ways,” she said.
For career services staff, summer used to be downtime — but that has changed, said Rosario. With more and more programming for students offered in the summer, the Beyond Rising interns have been a great help, she said.
“I wish we could have all of them all year round,” said Rosario.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes