Welcome to your hub for the Gephardt Institute Civic Leadership Programs application for Civic Scholars and the St. Louis Fellows Program.
The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement supports student learning, engagement, and leadership in civic life.
Our civic leadership programs provide powerful experiences that support experiential education, civic leadership development, internship opportunities, and help you explore how to align civic and community engagement with your own passions and skills.
We encourage you to apply if you are interested in deepening your understanding of and experience with nonprofit missions, public policy, grassroots organizing, public health, the arts, and more, through the lens of civic and community engagement.
Start My Cohort Program Application
The application period for our undergraduate cohort programs now closed.
Deadline to submit: Jan. 22, 2023 at 9 p.m. CST
Submit a Student Recommendation
Recommendations are required for all programs. For Civic Scholars only: recommenders must be WashU faculty or staff.
Deadline to submit: Jan. 27, 2023 at 5 p.m. CST
Apply for a Partnership Extension Grant
Are you a 2023 Civic Scholar or St. Louis Fellow who is finishing up your Civic Summer or your Fellowship, and want to extend your summer project work? Apply for a Partnership Grant Application from the Gephardt Institute’s St. Louis Impact Fund by Aug. 28, 2023.
Cohort Program Overview
| Civic Scholars Program | St. Louis Fellowship Program | |
| Program Focus | Civic Scholars is a cohort experience featuring an academic curriculum (6 credits), leadership training, mentorship, and a summer civic project completed between junior and senior year. | These cohort programs connect students with St. Louis area civic, arts, and public health organizations for summer internships supported by immersive learning and experiences in the region. Specific opportunities include Arts as Civic Engagement, Dr. John C. Morris Fellows, Goldman Fellows, and other opportunities to work in St. Louis, including on LGBTQIA+ advocacy. |
| Program Eligibility | Rising juniors. (You must be enrolled as a junior in fall 2023). | Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. (You must be enrolled as an undergraduate student in fall 2023). |
| Regional Focus | Civic summer projects can be completed nationwide or internationally | St. Louis Metro Area |
| Program Length | Civic Scholars is a two-year program completed during junior and senior years. | Our St. Louis Fellowships are completed from March 2023 through August 2023. |
| Funding or Stipend | $6,000 stipend | $6,000 stipend |
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, international students are encouraged to apply for all Gephardt Institute civic leadership programs. Upon being selected, additional follow-up will be required through OISS to complete the appropriate documentation.
No, and in fact, much of your junior year experience in Civic Scholars will be spent focused on preparing you for your Civic Summer.
No, and while it helps to have a particular issue area or professional focus that you’re passionate about exploring in your internship, the Gephardt Institute team will work with you to identify and find the best internship for you in your fellowship.
Fellows will secure an unpaid internship, but through our programs, you receive funding in the form of a $6,000 stipend in lieu of summer earnings and to help offset cost-living costs and expenses.
Yes, and please contact our team if you have specific questions about the timing of the internship and completion of your study abroad. If you are selected for a finalist interview while abroad, your interview can be conducted virtually.
Recommendations are required as part of the application process for each St. Louis Fellows or Civic Scholar applicant. You can include more than one recommendation, but only one is required to submit your application.
Student Suggestions allow faculty and staff the opportunity to connect a student with the Gephardt Institute for the Civic Scholars or St. Louis Fellows civic leadership programs. They are not part of the application process, but help us identify students who may be a good fit for these programs.
For questions about a civic leadership program or the application process, please contact Sonia Sequiera, Director of Programs and Operations, at soniasequeira@wustl.edu
Application Process
The application process is common across all cohort programs. To submit your application, please ensure the following has been completed:
- Submit your completed online application, including your resume and essays responses, Jan. 22, 2023 at 9 p.m. CST.
We advise that you work on your application essays in the form of a Word document first. Copy and paste your responses from the Word document into the online form to avoid any potential technical issues. Gephardt also provides a fillable PDF to help you draft your application, but final responses must be submitted through the application form. Please include all Washington University affiliations, including student organizations, scholarship programs, and work/internship commitments on your resume. Additionally, your resume should highlight any significant civic and community engagement experience. - Ensure your recommendation form responses are submitted online via this form by the stated application deadline. Applicants should solicit one recommendation as part of your application. You can include more than one recommendation, but only one is required to submit your application. View sample request email >>
For Civic Scholars applicants, the recommender MUST be a WashU faculty or staff member. You can include more than one recommendation, but only one is required to submit your application.
For St. Louis Fellowship Program applicants, the recommender can be anyone who can speak to your engagement in a community setting, with a strong preference for either a WashU faculty/staff member or someone who is familiar with your interests, work, and involvement in the past year. You can include more than one recommendation, but only one is required to submit your application.
Extended Program Details
Information Sessions and Drop-In Hours
We encourage attending one or more of the following information sessions. These sessions provide an opportunity to learn more about our programs, preview the application process, ask questions, and connect with institute staff.
Information sessions and drop-in hours will be made available in-person and digitally. If you are not able to attend, please contact us for a recording or visit our youtube channel.
These information sessions are an ideal opportunity to learn more about our St. Louis Fellows Program and Civic Scholars Program.
Times and dates for information sessions will be announced shortly. Click on the links below to view our 2022 recordings.
| Program | 2022 Information Sessions | 2023 Information Sessions |
| All Civic Leadership Programs | View Recording | Dec. 7, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Stix House |
| Civic Scholars | View Recording | Dec. 7, 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. at Stix House |
| Arts as Civic Engagement | View Recording | Dec. 7, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Stix House |
| Dr. John C. Morris Fellows | View Recording | Dec. 7, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Stix House |
| Goldman Fellows and other St. Louis Fellows | View Recording | Dec. 7, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Stix House |
Virtual drop-in hours are available for applicants to learn more about all civic leadership programs. Gephardt Staff and program alumni will be available to answer questions about each program and can give feedback on application drafts.
More details can be found on our events calendar.
| Session | Date and Time |
| St. Louis Fellows, virtual | Friday, Dec. 9, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. |
| St. Louis Fellows, in-person | Thursday, Dec. 15, 3 p.m. – 5.p.m. Friday Jan. 20, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. |
| Civic Scholars, virtual | Friday, Jan. 6, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. |
| Civic Scholars, in-person | Friday Jan. 20, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. |
CAMPUS RESOURCES
In addition to information sessions and drop-in hours, applicants are encouraged to take advantage of WashU resources to support your application. The following offices offer one-on-one appointments, available to all WashU students:
| Resume & Interview Support | Essay Writing |
| The Career Center DUC 110 https://careercenter.wustl.edu | The Writing Center Mallinkrodt Center, Lower Level https://writingcenter.wustl.edu |