Global Leadership Program in Guatemala

GLP in Guatemala is an international internship program for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students at the O'Neill School. Selected students will be placed in an internship in Guatemala that matches their degree field and/or area of interest. The program is 8 weeks in length (June-July 2025) and students will work full-time at their assigned internship. The internship placements are unpaid. All placements will be in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.

This internship program includes all the following features:

• Guaranteed internship position related to degree
• Immersive part-time Spanish lessons for first 4 weeks of the internship
• Housing on-site at FUNDAP's lodging facility, El Refugio (single furnished apartment with kitchen and private bathroom)
• 24-hour emergency contact
• Pick-up on arrival day/drop off on departure day at Guatemala City Airport
• Comprehensive health insurance covering dates of program

Additionally, the program allows students the following options at their own expense:

• Option to add on guided cultural excursions
• Option to add on meal plan
• Option to add on further Spanish lessons

*Students must have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA

Students will be placed in internships with different departments and program areas within FUNDAP in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. FUNDAP's main areas of work center of the following:

• Education
• Health
• Environment
• Agriculture
• Handicraft
• Microcredit

For further explanations of each of these areas, see this document.

FUNDAP will secure internship placements for students that match their stated interests and degree fields. In your application materials, please outline your areas of interest clearly so FUNDAP has as much information to work with as possible.

Costs

The GLP in Guatemala program fee is estimated at $1,800.

To secure their spot, students will accept their offer with a $550 deposit towards the program fee. The remaining program fee amount will be charged to students’ bursars in March-April.

In addition to the program fee, students will be responsible for covering their flight and personal expenses while on the ground in Guatemala, as well as paying any tuition associated with their internship requirement.

Scholarships

O’Neill will support students doing this program with a $1,000 stipend. Students are encouraged to apply for any internal or external awards to help fund this experience. Please see our scholarship page for available funding. Students may also apply any internship stipends awarded through their admissions process to this program.

We invite applications from O’Neill graduate and upper-level undergraduate students in any degree who are in good academic and disciplinary standing. The Career Hub and the O’Neill International Office (OIO) will open a call for applicants each fall semester. We will select a cohort of 8 students to participate in GLP-Guatemala. Students will be asked to upload a resume, cover letter, and a letter of recommendation from a previous supervisor or faculty member. Below is the application process timeline:

• October 1: Applications open for all Global Leadership Programs
• Mid October: Program infosessions are held - attend to learn more and ask questions
• November 1: Applications due for this program
• Early-Mid November: Interviews will take place
• Late November: Students notified of acceptance into program
• Early December: Students confirm participation in program and pay deposit

After acceptance, O’Neill will submit the selected students’ information and interests to FUNDAP. FUNDAP will then secure placements for the students in one of their programs related to the students’ interests and/or degree field. Students can expect to have their internship placement by early May.

The O’Neill International Office will administer a pre-departure training and preparation process covering health, safety, security, and cultural information for students doing this program. Pre-departure group meetings will take place monthly from January-May preceding departure for the internship program and will cover various helpful topics. 

Graduate students:

This program meets the guidelines for the experiential component of students' graduate degrees (MAAA, MPA, MSES, and duals) and can count for experiential credit for the MIA program as well. Upon learning of their placement, students will submit their internship on the O’Neill Career site.  Students will be required to register the internship with the Career Hub and enroll in at least 0 credits of V585/E589 for MPA, MSES, and dual MPA-MSES students; or enroll in the Y750 Internship in Arts Administration course for MAAA and dual MPA-MAAA students. MPA, MSES, dual MPA-MSES, and MIA students can choose to elect credit(s) for the internship; the number of credits available for the internship will be dependent on the amount of hours completed and will be assessed for tuition. All students will be asked to complete post-internship self and program evaluations.

Undergraduate students:

This program meets the guidelines for the experiential component of most undergraduate degrees (BSPA, BSAM, BSHCM) and can count as 3 credits of Field Experience for BSES students. Upon learning of their placement, students will submit their internship on the O’Neill Career site. Students will be required to register the internship with the Career Hub. Students must also be enrolled in a corollary course while doing this internship. See below for major-specific guidance:

For BSPA and BSAM students

For students who have not yet completed V381 – they can enroll in V381 for this internship to satisfy that requirement. For students who have already completed that requirement, they can enroll in 0 credits of V380 or can choose to enroll in the internship for credit (typically 3 credits of V380 for this program due to the hours completed). The number of credits available for the internship is dependent on the amount of hours completed and will be assessed for tuition. All students will be asked to complete post-internship self and program evaluations.

For BSES students

BSES students must enroll in 3 credits of V380 in order to receive the 3 credits of Field Experience on their record. If BSES students are not seeking Field Experience credit, they can enroll in this program for 0-3 credits of V380. All students will be asked to complete post-internship self and program evaluations.

For BSHCM students

For students who have not yet completed H466 – they can enroll in H466 for this internship to satisfy that requirement. For students who have already completed that requirement, they can enroll in 0 credits of V380 or can choose to enroll in the internship for credit (typically 3 credits of V380 for this program). The number of credits available for the internship will be dependent on the amount of hours completed and will be assessed for tuition. All students will be asked to complete post-internship self and program evaluations.

For BAESS students

BAESS students can enroll in 0 credits of V380 for this internship or can choose to enroll in the internship for credit (typically 3 credits of V380 for this program). The number of credits available for the internship will be dependent on the amount of hours completed and will be assessed for tuition. All students will be asked to complete post-internship self and program evaluations.