Paid Fellowship Opportunity — Early College and Dual Enrollment Alumni

APPLY HERE – September 18 Preferred Deadline

BECOME AN ADVOCATE FOR EDUCATIONAL EQUITY 

The Early College Policy Fellowship is designed to elevate your voice to promote powerful change in the bridge between high school and college. Through this Fellowship, you will be a key leader in the movement to strengthen and expand Early College (see description at the bottom of this document) in Massachusetts, and you will be empowered to garner broad support for Early College from key stakeholders in your community and statewide. As part of the Fellowship, you will receive training in the core skills of movement building: public and civic engagement, legislative advocacy, traditional and social media communications, and grassroots organizing. Having first-hand experience with Early College or dual enrollment is preferred but not required to take part in this Fellowship.

FELLOWSHIP OVERVIEW 

  • Location: Massachusetts (Remote)
  • Time Commitment: Part-time (10 hours/week) 
  • Duration: October – April
  • Compensation: $16.00 per hour (approximately $4,160 for full Fellowship)

Oversight: Fellows will be supervised by Lisbeth Tineo and Sabrina Marte

WHAT YOU’ll DO

As an Early College Policy Fellow, you’ll work alongside a team of passionate students, leaders, and lawmakers in education and policy. For students looking to further their understanding of education and inequity in Massachusetts, this Early College Policy Fellowship is a unique and meaningful opportunity to impact the K-12 and higher education systems and gain experience in designing and implementing a multi-pronged advocacy campaign with the goal of creating meaningful change for students in Massachusetts.

Through the Early College Policy Fellowship, you will strengthen your education equity and reform knowledge base and engage in coordinated professional development related to movement building and advocacy efforts. Over the course of six months, you’ll learn from experts in a variety of fields, and develop the skills and tools you need to design and implement your own advocacy campaign. In addition to gaining an understanding of the education landscape in Massachusetts, the presence and impact of Early College, and the foundations of state government and policy-making; you will build skill sets around storytelling and public speaking, interview preparation and design, influence tactics, the history and power of student advocacy, and using social media as an advocacy tool. Your time will be spread between synchronous and asynchronous learning and professional development, one-on-one coaching, and independent and collaborative work. 

By the end of your fellowship, you can expect to have designed and implemented your own advocacy campaign aimed at deepening local- and state- support for Early College. Throughout this process, you will participate in a wide array of advocacy activities, including but not limited to:

  • Connecting with local leaders and stakeholders in K-12, Higher Education, and adjacent fields
  • Coordinating and executing individual and group engagements with local and state representatives, education and Early College advocates, aligned industry leaders, and the press. 
  • Developing and implementing a media strategy aimed at raising Early College awareness, investment, and engagement
  • Designing and executing a plan to mobilize peers, community members, and local education advocates in pursuit of Early College Expansion
  • Develop communication, social, and professional skills in a safe environment

WHO YOU ARE

Whether you’re completely new to policy advocacy or you’re an expert organizer, we encourage you to join us in this movement. Your commitment to educational justice for Black, Latinx, low-income, and first-generation college students and your belief in the potential of Early College to create systems-level change is most important. As an Early College Policy Fellow, you will be at the forefront of education reform in Massachusetts. 

QUALIFICATIONS

We’re looking for Early College Policy Fellows who consistently demonstrate: 

  • Enthusiasm about educational equity and an interest in creating system-level change through policy and school design reform
  • A belief in the potential of Early College to redefine high school success from on-time graduation to crossing the bridge to and through college 
  • Willingness to learn, engage in professional development, speak in public, and communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders about Early College
  • Excellent verbal and written communication 
  • Strong time management and organizational skills 
  • Excitement about working collaboratively towards a common goal, both with peers and stakeholders at the local and state levels
  • Past Early College and/or Dual Enrollment experience 

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should fill out the primary application form HERE by September 18th. As potential fellows advance through the application process, candidates will be invited to participate in an interview and potential candidate exercise. We seek candidates with interest in equitable education policy, particularly those with local Early College and dual enrollment experience. We support equal opportunity and value building a diverse fellowship cohort, and we encourage individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in higher education to apply. 

TIMELINE

  • Application Due Date: September 18 (applications reviewed on a rolling basis) (SUBMIT HERE)
  • Fellowship Start Date: October 3rd