Students

Forming poverty’s fiercest adversaries through the creation and use of evidence

Mission

The University of Notre Dame’s mission embraces a commitment to “cultivate in its students not only an appreciation for the great achievements of human beings, but also a disciplined sensibility to the poverty, injustice, and oppression that burden the lives of so many. The aim is to create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice.”

Since LEO’s beginning, undergraduate students have played an integral part in its work. To deepen its response to Notre Dame’s mission, LEO equips Notre Dame undergraduates with the skills to create and use evidence to end poverty through the Poverty Research Fellows program.

Why Become a Fellow?

Students from all academic disciplines who are motivated to be a force for good through pursuing evidence-based solutions, eager to deepen their understanding of how to effectively conduct research, and passionate about ending domestic poverty are invited to apply for the Poverty Research Fellows program. Fellows get exclusive access to special guest speakers; professional development opportunities; career coaching; alumni networking; connections with faculty and LEO leadership; and the opportunity to apply to individualized, paid internships. Throughout your time as a Fellow, you will build a community of peers with a common goal: the pursuit of vocation in service to ending poverty.

In future years, Fellows will have first access to academic coursework in the Department of Economics (launching Spring 2026) and immersive learning experiences in which small groups will travel to either visit LEO partners across the country or to Washington, DC to explore evidence-based policy-making (launching Fall 2026).

Poverty Research Fellows leave Notre Dame prepared to work at the forefront of evidence-based action against poverty through careers in education, public policy, social services, nonprofit leadership, communications and more.

Application and Selection Process

Each semester, a limited number of students will be named Poverty Research Fellows through a selective application process. Upon selection, students commit to participating in at least three events or programs each semester to maintain their status as a Poverty Research Fellow.

Students interested in the Summer 2025 Poverty Research Fellows internship (formerly known as the LEO internship) will apply in the fall 2024 semester.

Students who are interested in applying for the PRF program, but do not want to apply for the Summer 2025 internship will have an opportunity to apply for the PRF program in the spring semester.

Summer 2025 Paid Internship

A link to the application will be available here beginning August 27, 2024. The application will close on October 31, 2024.

Formerly known as the LEO Internship, the Poverty Research Fellows internship offers students the opportunity to support LEO’s mission of ending domestic poverty across four areas of specialization: research operations and design, strategic partnerships, policy & impact, and business operations. Students can select to apply for up to two of the areas of specialization. Detailed job descriptions can be found below.

The online application will include major/minor, current GPA and transcript, brief essay(s), resume, two academic and/or professional references (names and contact information only; brief reference forms will be sent to the references of students who move to the interview round).

Depending upon academic interests and skills, interns support the mission to end domestic poverty through five areas of specialization:

• Research Design & Operations: On this team, you will provide research assistance to LEO’s Research Associates and Research Faculty. The Research Design & Operations roles are highly recommended for economics and statistics majors with a background in STATA and quantitative competency. Click here for the full job description.
  
  
• Policy & Impact: On this team, you will gain a broad understanding of state and local policy systems in order to support LEO's emerging work in building evidence into policy. Interns may also create marketing and communications materials. One intern will be located in Washington, D.C. Past Policy & Impact interns have been from a number of academic majors, including political science, history, economics, global affairs, PLS, marketing, English, and more. Click here for the full job description.
  
  
• Strategic Partnership: Interns on this team will either work on project development (telling the LEO story to service providers across the country and facilitating their entry into the research pipeline) or on fund development (telling the LEO story to our supporters and managing our fundraising strategy to support our operations and achieve our mission). This internship appeals to students from all academic disciplines, including business majors, economics, global affairs, sociology, PLS, political science, English, and more. Click here for the full job description.
  
  
• Business Operations (Finance, IT, Human Resources): In this role, individualized projects may range from finances, grant data, human resources/personnel, and information technologies, depending upon academic and career interests. Business Operations interns can come from any major, including finance, ACMS, computer science, global affairs, strategic management, economics, political science, and more. Click here for the full job description.

Interns who return for a second summer internship gain the unique opportunity of building a customized experience based on their research or career interests.