St. Louis Fellows Program Application Summer 2025 

Undergraduate WashU students who will still be undergraduate students in Fall 2025 are invited to apply for the St. Louis Fellows Program. This includes international students, students currently studying abroad, and students who are in a 3-2 program. Students who are graduating in May 2025, and current graduate students, are not eligible to apply.  

The St. Louis Fellows Program has dozens of community partners working across the region in many different areas, including the arts, public health, racial equity, environmental justice, LGBTQ+ advocacy, democracy, and more! With the support of Gephardt staff, fellows will secure full-time, 10-week summer internships that align with their civic passions and career interests. *Please note, Morris Fellows, Arts as Civic Engagement Fellows, and Democracy Fellows are assigned to their partner organization based on pre-existing partnerships.  

In lieu of summer earnings, each fellow will receive a $7,500 base stipend to help offset living costs and expenses. Students with high financial need will also receive a $1,000 supplemental stipend. Eligibility is determined by Student Financial Services at the time of program acceptance.  

St. Louis Fellows will learn about and engage with St. Louis’ history and culture through an experiential curriculum that integrates classroom learning with off-campus experiences. The program requires three trainings in spring 2025, an overnight off-campus retreat to kick-off the summer, weekly seminars and community events alongside their 10-week summer internships, and a culminating Showcase event in fall 2025. 

Program alumni often share that one of the best parts of being a St. Louis Fellow is the friendships they build with their “fellow Fellows.” Because the program is open to all undergraduate students across years, schools, and majors, Fellows often meet and build relationships with students they wouldn’t have met otherwise at WashU. And, because of the nature of the program, the Fellows end up spending a lot of time together, reflecting on their internship experiences, discussing big issues facing St. Louis, sharing delicious local meals, and exploring St. Louis!   

At the Gephardt Institute, we work to equip students with the knowledge, skills, experience, and commitment for lifelong civic engagement, in St. Louis or wherever they may go. Through their full-time internship and Gephardt programming, St. Louis Fellows explore ways to be civically engaged students, community members, and professionals, and our hope is that they take what they learn and apply it to their future lives and careers.  

Throughout the program, Fellows will engage with Gephardt staff, internship supervisors, guest speakers, and community members who are excited to share their experiences and expertise and to help Fellows discern potential pathways to achieve civic, academic, and professional pursuits. Fellows will also participate in a variety of skill-building workshops and facilitated activities during the spring trainings, overnight retreat, and summer seminars.