Lauren Heaney ’25 (center) at a San Francisco funding event with U-GO Co-Founder Amy Powell and volunteer
By Nichola Monroe ’27
For Lauren Heaney ’25, an internship made all the difference for her post-grad entry into the professional world.
After exploring a handful of fields while at Scripps, Heaney dove into a major in sociology with an aim to enter nonprofit work.
“Social issues ripple out to affect everything in modern society,” Heaney explains. “I wanted to do something good for others by using the skills I learned and loved throughout my studies.”
In a competitive industry, Heaney initially struggled to find nonprofit internship opportunities. She was on the precipice of pivoting to another field—until, through Scripps’ Office of Career Planning & Resources (CP&R), she encountered U-GO.
Partnering with Scripps’ Career Planning & Resources
Tom Monroe P’23, ’27, is director of programs at U-GO, a rising nonprofit funding women’s university scholarships in nine low-income countries. Before meeting Heaney, Monroe—a Class of 1990 graduate of Pomona College—had been seeking a candidate whose values and abilities aligned with the organization’s mission and goals. He turned to CP&R to collaborate on recruiting a Scripps student for the summer.
“I’m a strong advocate of liberal arts education—it produces graduates that are creative, open-minded, good communicators, critical thinkers, and problem-solvers, which is what we need at U-GO,” says Monroe. “As a Scripps parent, I also know the College graduates excellent students who are socially minded and have an interest in international development. I knew I could find an independent, hard-working candidate who could take initiative at Scripps.”
I’m a strong advocate of liberal arts education—it produces graduates that are creative, open-minded, good communicators, critical thinkers, and problem-solvers.
Monroe worked with CP&R to draft a job description and advertise the internship to the Scripps community. Since U-GO funnels as much funding as they can into scholarships—its C-suite works for free—CP&R also directed students to apply for an internship grant for the unpaid role.
The rising value of internship grants
“More and more employers are looking at candidates’ past experience when hiring,” explains Max Eastman, administrative assistant for institutional engagement at Scripps. “Internships are increasingly critical for students as they prepare for life after graduation.”
Internship grants are essential to helping students say “yes” to different career opportunities. Thanks to donor giving—especially from Scripps parents and families—In 2025, CP&R awarded a record 107 internship grants totaling more than $300,000 in funding.
Director of Programs Tom Monroe, PO ’90, P ’23 and ’27, with U-GO scholars in Indonesia
“Many valuable opportunities are only available unpaid or at a low rate of pay,” Eastman continues, “especially as federal funding challenges create financial uncertainty for many programs and institutions. Internship grants make these unpaid opportunities more viable for students who otherwise could not afford to take them on.”
For many students, internships lead to full-time offers after graduation. This was true for Heaney.
“Everybody loves Lauren,” says Monroe. “She has become invaluable to our team, and we’re lucky to have her.”
Internships are not just helpful for students—companies and organizations also benefit from working with individuals who bring new ideas to their goals. At U-GO, Lauren developed major networking and education programs for the scholars.
I could not have afforded to take an unpaid internship after graduating. Now, I pretty much have my dream job.
“My experience as an intern was great,” says Heaney, who worked cross-culturally to conduct research, building systems to improve communication, resource distribution, and community engagement across U-GO’s international programs. Her efforts ultimately strengthened both scholar support and donor engagement across the organization’s global network, leading to her current role as U-GO’s development manager.
“I could not have afforded to take an unpaid internship after graduating. Now, I pretty much have my dream job,” Heaney adds. “I am extremely grateful to the Scripps internship grant program for this.”
Scripps families + students = more career opportunities
The question remains: would U-GO recruit from Scripps again?
“Yes, of course I would do it again,” Monroe says. “Having an intern is a mutually beneficial situation; we get the chance to work with some really smart, motivated students while an intern gains experience and reputability as an employee. In turn, we expose them to U-GO’s passions: women’s empowerment, gender equality, and education to support economic advancement.”
For students looking to enter the nonprofit world, Heaney advises students to never give up, saying,
“Keep putting applications out there, keep learning. What you put out into the world will come back to you.”