UniHealth Peer Health Educator Fellowship & Internship

With the generous support of The UniHealth Foundation, Whittier College has established the UniHealth Undergraduate Peer Health Educator Fellowship & Internship: Creating a Healthy Life Lab Program at Whittier College to Promote Campus Health and Wellness and Launch a Diverse Cohort of Students into Health Professions.

This hybrid fellowship/internship is for students who possess a career or personal interest in Allied Health fields (e.g. Kinesiology, Medicine, Public health), Social Sciences (e.g. Psychology, Social-work, Anthropology), Whittier Scholars Program, Education or Human Development and desire to accelerate their personal, professional and career readiness by learning and implementing an equitable health delivery model for the Whittier College community as a peer health educator. Eight to ten fellowship awards per year are intended for first, second, or third-year students who will commit to both a summer fellowship and an academic year internship.

Eligibility Criteria

First-years, sophomores, or juniors in good academic standing
Open to students interested in Allied Health fields (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Kinesiology, Public Health, Psychology, Social Work, or Anthropology majors)
A minimum 2.75 GPA
A completed application that includes two letters of recommendations

Selection Criteria

The program will enhance the student's personal, professional, and career readiness and improve their ability to apply for/be accepted into professional graduate training and internships.
The program will enhance the student's academic experience.
The program will enhance the student’s knowledge and commitment to health-related professions.
The program will enhance the student’s ability to impact campus wellness culture.

Program Benefits

A stipend of $5,000 and on-campus housing (summer only in the residential hall) as you participate in the 8-week training/education/orientation and job shadowing/mentoring on campus.
Academic year internship, $16.00/hr. for 10 hours/week during fall and spring semesters

Summer Fellowship Training Objectives

Based on the Eight Dimensions of Wellness, fellows will receive instruction in emotional/mental health, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual areas. Fellows will choose their areas of impact for programming, examples include sexual assault awareness/interpersonal violence, time management, self-harm prevention, mental health awareness, stress management, nutrition, and self-care. Fellows are also trained in the Clifton Strengths assessment and will offer consultations to WC students who would like to learn more about their strengths.
Summer fellows will also receive a variety of training with Career Services to prepare them for their chosen careers. Additionally, they will meet over 25 working professionals during Mentoring Moments calls and experience 20 hours of shadowing a variety of local health/medical professionals including non-profit/mental health providers, private practice physicians, pharmacies, food banks, homeless shelters, and a rotation with Kaiser Permanente physicians and allied health professionals.

Applying to the Program

The application is due on March 4, 2024. Use this guide to gather your application documents. Request these items two weeks prior to the deadline.

A complete application consists of:

Unofficial academic transcripts.
Current semester Course Progress Report.
Signed sample Student Contract.
A written recommendation letter from a faculty member or advisor.
A written recommendation from a non-relative employer, supervisor, or mentor (may be on or off campus).
A Fellowship Essay of up to 5,000 characters explaining:
- how you became interested in the program; why you want this fellowship/internship opportunity.
- how your participation in this fellowship opportunity will impact your ability to attain your career goals.
- examples of the steps you have taken outside of applying for this fellowship to prepare/pursue your career goals (e.g. volunteer work, certifications, classes outside of WC).
A Personal Essay of up to 3,000 characters indicating:
- What personal characteristics and traits do you bring to ensure a successful fellowship experience?
- How do your lived experiences impact your choice of this fellowship and overall career?
- How you will most impact the WC community as a Peer Health Educator (e.g. programs, areas of need/interest)?
Selected semi-finalists may be interviewed.

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