About the Eisen Family
The Eisen Family are strong supporters of the University of Maryland, where Amy graduated in 1988, son Corey in 2014 and where son Sam plans to graduate in 2018. As owners of a successful, nationally recognized business, David and Amy recognize the importance of internships and the critical need to support undergraduate students who would like to participate in unpaid or low-pay internships.
About the Fund
The Eisen Family Internship Scholarship Endowment will make multiple awards annually to assist undergraduate students participating in unpaid and low-paid internships, including unpaid summer internships.
How to Apply
Application materials are available in early April through the Bright Futures Initiative.
Past Scholars
2024 Scholars
Ella Ferbert
Ella Ferbert is a rising junior majoring in Public Policy and minoring in Italian Language and Culture. As of now, her academic pursuits include working in the state or federal government or any pursuit where she can make a difference in critical policy issues. She is very active in Alpha Phi Omega, a community service fraternity, and she currently works as a volunteer fellow with the Angela Alsobrooks for Senate campaign. She completed her University Honors Citation this past semester and is excited about her summer internship at the White House, where she will work on veterans affairs policy at the Office of Management and Budget.
Romina Fusha
Romina Fusha is a junior at the University of Maryland, majoring in Neuroscience. She hopes to apply to graduate school in the future with the end goal of achieving a PhD and working in the R&D industry. She’s currently an undergraduate at the Language & Music Cognition Laboratory at UMD. Romina is also involved with the National Center for School Mental Health as an intern working with mental health professionals to provide resources for school mental health. She was a member of the Global Fellows in D.C. program and enjoyed her experience. This summer, Romina will be interning at the Children's National Hospital focusing on molecular and activity-dependent mechanisms that shape neuronal connectivity during development. Romina also studied abroad through the Maryland-In-Rome program which she highly recommends!
Shira Huebner
Shira Huebner just completed her sophomore year studying psychology and minoring in creative writing. She hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in psychology and to become a child psychologist. Shira is currently a research assistant in the Big Emotion Across Development Lab, where she uses behavioral coding to improve the identification of youth at risk for emotional disorders. She is also a peer counselor for Lean On Me, the student-led emotional support line for undergraduates. Recently, Shira took on greater responsibility, and now helps mentor new trainees.
Avneet Kaur
Avneet Kaur is pursuing a double major in sociology and criminology and criminal justice. She has been and currently is on 4 executive boards in the past 3 years. On these boards, she helps bring together the South Asian and Sikh community. Avneet also works with a non-profit in India to help underprivileged children with school books and housing through events they hold throughout the year. She has also worked part time at Eppley Recreation Center since her spring semester of freshman year. This job has helped her take care of her own finances so she doesn't have to rely on my parents.
Olivia Makofsky
Olivia Makosky is pursuing a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice, with a double major in Psychology, and has an interest in victim advocacy and services. She was fortunate enough to serve as the Treasurer of Pro-Choice Terps at UMD, as well as the Events Chair of Preventing Sexual Assault. For summer of 2024, Olivia is an intern for the Joyful Heart Foundation and is learning about public policy while putting work towards supporting a societal change regarding responses to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse.
Erica Otte
Erica Otte aspires to be a Child Advocacy Attorney. As a result, she has worked in many fields related to children, the law, and government. She has worked in Congress, advocating for Education and Healthcare issues that disproportionately affect young children. Similarly, Erica is the City Council Student Liaison this year, where she plans to implement more Childcare initiatives, such as ESL and tutoring programs. Now, Erica works at the Public Defender’s Office in the Juvenile Crimes Division as her unpaid internship as well as being a preschool teacher the other two days of the week.
Naomi Rappaport
Naomi Rappaport is currently the treasurer of Pro Choice Terps, where she manages financial operations and supports advocacy efforts. As a dedicated member of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Student Ambassadors, she actively promotes her college and engages with prospective students. With a passion for animal care, Naomi aspires to attend veterinary school after graduation and pursue a career as a small animal veterinarian.
Liseth Tocas
Liseth Tocas would like to work with child health and/or the Hispanic/Latino community. She has some involvement with front desk work and community based activities from where her dad is from. Liseth enjoys playing soccer and helping out the community when in need of assistance.
Nina Wilson
Nina Wilson is an undergraduate Journalism and Public Policy student with goals to become a print journalist upon graduation. She was just recently elected to social media director for our schools chapter of Maryland Association of Black Journalists for the 2024-2025 academic school year. Nina is also a Maryland Images tour guide. Along with that she worked with Merrill Correspondents as an ambassador for the School of Journalism.
Josephine Wu
Josephine “Joey” Wu is currently an Information Systems student at the Smith School of Business! She is a TA for BMGT 301-Intro to Information Systems, and also previously held leadership positions in the Smith Undergraduate Student Association, Ascend-UMD, and the UMD Maryland Student Legislature. Joey is excited to intern at the Legal Accountability Project this summer, as part of her journey to attend law school and pursue a career combining law and tech.
Selina Zhu
Selina Zhu is a rising sophomore at the University of Maryland majoring in Public Policy and Economics. She currently serves as Director of Marketing for the Economics Association of Maryland, Apparel Chair for Phi Alpha Delta, the pre-law fraternity, a Policy Ambassador for the School of Public Policy, and an undergraduate TA for PCY100. Selina aspires to work in the policy sphere, whether it be through legislative work or research.
2023 Scholars
Steven Berit
Steven is pursuing a dual degree in Government and Politics and Computer Science with a concentration in Data Science. Steven has gotten involved in student government and research on campus. Additionally, he is a member of the Student Alumni Leadership Council and Global Fellows in D.C. program and has worked as an Orientation Advisor for two summers.
Lucinda Feldmann
Lucy Feldmann is a rising junior double majoring in Government & Politics and Human Development, with a minor in Philosophy. She also is a proud member of the Design, Cultures, and Creativity Honors College, where she studies the interaction of technology and design. At UMD, Lucy wants to study the process of learning and growth to apply it in a real world setting, through realistic, palatable initiatives in the field of educational politics on all levels of government. When she's not in class, Lucy spends most of her time competing as a member of the University of Maryland Mock Trial Team. As well as being Treasurer of the organization, she is one of its Captains.
Adriana Flores
Adriana Flores is a rising 4th-year student at the University of Maryland College Park. She has gained most of her professional experience with the AmeriCorps as a member and after school teacher working with at-risk middle school youth. Adriana is now interning with the SAFE Center for human trafficking survivors and hopes to gain casework experience.
Rachel Fredman
Rachel Fredman is a rising junior who is active on the UMD campus and now abroad! She is secretary of Best Buddies UMD, on the ARHU Collegiate Council, and a member of Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity and Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. Rachel loves to travel and make friends and is excited for her internship in Tel Aviv this summer with the Association of Ethiopian Jews.
Maya Grossman
Maya Grossman is a rising junior majoring in psychology with minors in sustainability and business. On campus, she has become deeply involved in TerpThon, UMD's dance marathon. During her freshman year, she danced on the Morale Committee and this past year she advanced to coregraphing, performing, and teaching the Morale dance as Choreography Captain for the non-profit organization. Maya is also the Wellness Specialist of her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. These opportunityes have allowed her to help a variety of people, from the kids at Children's National Hospital to students on campus, and she is very grateful to he able to make a positive impact on her community.
Collin Hart
Collin Hart is a rising junior majoring in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a minor in Law & Society and Global Terrorism Studies.While he is still figuring out exactly what he wants to do, his goals are to either work in a federal law enforcement agency, an intelligence agency, a homeland security agency or attend law school. On campus, Collin is involved in the Student Governance Board Justice and he is the philanthropy chair for his fraternity.
Jenny Hong
Jenny Hong is an incoming junior double majoring in Criminology and Information Systems. She hopes to enroll in graduate school after she graduates and eventually enter the federal government for her career. Jenny is the president of the Korean Student Association (KSA) for the 2023-2024 school year and she is also the Vice President for Justice4Terps.
Alyssa Lee
Alyssa Lee is an Environmental Science & Policy major planning to concentrate in Wildlife Ecology & Management. She is a member of the Sigma Alpha Agricultural Sorority, an AGNR Ambassador starting Fall 2023, the Social Chair for the Women's Crew Club Sports team, as well as a current intern for USGS and Eastern Ecological Science Center. Alyssa is an Environment, Technology, and Economy student in the Scholars Program as well.
Eytan Pomper
Eytan Pomper is a rising Junior in the School of Public Health as a Kinesiology Major. As of now, his academic pursuits include Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy, or any pursuit that includes working and helping others. He is very active in the University of Maryland's Jewish community, and attends many of their events. Eytan is also the vice president of a club on campus called DUNK, where they run basketball clinics for different underserved elementary schools in the area. As Vice President, he helps coordinate with the schools and decide which Maryland students will go to which schools and when.
Nadia Robles-Osorio
Through her time at the University of Maryland, Nadia Robles-Osorio has grown her academic pursuit and enhanced her educational journey by enrolling in courses that challenge her. It has always been essential for her to develop her critical thinking skills and expose herself to new areas of study. She has accomplished this by taking courses that deepened her knowledge of legal terminology, court processes, and reasoning. Nadia has participated in support for fundraisers as a member of Student’s Helping Honduras. Through this involvement, she has helped raise awareness through community engagement and education on issues impacting children and families in Honduras. Her involvement was a significant personal undertaking since Nadia identifies as part of the Latino community. She was able to help where she could participate in fundraising efforts and spreading the word about the group’s mission.
Bailey Sullivan
Bailey Sullivan is a rising Junior at UMD. Some of the things that she is involved with as a student include being an English Teaching Assistant, a Peer Research Mentor for FIRE, the service chair for Mortar Board Senior Honor Society, a representative on the Enrollment Management Student, and a coordinator for three children's programs. She loves working with the youth in the programs and being a mentor. Bailey hopes to pursue a Master's in Social Work and a law degree after her undergrad!
2022 Scholars
Alice Park
At City Wildlife, a wildlife rehabilitation center, Alice worked with a variety of animals- songbirds to snakes. In her internship, she learned how to create special diets, clean enclosures, proper handling techniques, and even how to hand feed baby birds.
Ashley Awoseye
Ashley interned with the International Rescue Committee. After learning about the refugee resetlement process, Ashley met personally with refugee families increasing her awareness of the obstacles faced by immigrant families and allowed her to gain respect for their home cultures.
Atnafework Tezera
At the Lutheran Social Services, Atnafework interned in the Refugee Support Services Open. She and her assigned team met with newly arrives refugees helping them find jobs and ensuring they recieve the proper benefits to help them get settled in the US.
Georgia Shropshire
Georgia interned at Our Children's Trust, a non-profit interest law firm engaged in lawuits and legal services for the interests of youth in the face of the climate crisis. She worked alongside other non-profits focusing on enviornmental issues and provided support to office operations.
Jessica Martin
As an investigative intern at the NJ Office of the Public Defender, Jessica experienced what it takes to prepare for a trial. She located and interviewed witnesses, canvassed crime scene areas, spoke to client family members, and reviewed footage and records to find evidence that will support their clients.
Julia Parker
Julia interned at the Baltimore Museum of Industry in the archives department. She worked with documents like patents from the Crown Cork and Seal Company, a bottle making giant based in Baltimore in the 1930s, and newsletters written by and for Union workers at steel plants.
Rebeca Fuquen
Rebeca interned with National Aquarium's Australia Wild Extremes Department. The experience is a significant stepping stone in her career path. She gained valuable skills in animal handling and care plus completed a research project on the northern red-faced turtle, an Austrailan freshwater species.
Tariq Marouf
As an intern with the Embassy of Jordan in Washington DC, Tariq worked with Jordanian diplomats and economists to investigate economic policy challenges that jordan is facing Tariq utilized data from the World Bank, International Monteray Fund and the Central Bank of Jordan.
2021 Scholars
Helen Feng
Helen is interning a Studio Gallery where she is gaining valuable knowledge and experience in the arts industry. She is learning the nuances of art studio management from selling artwork to curating unique exhibitions.
Justin Fox
At the Office of the Public Defender, Justin Fox is learning first-hand about the criminal justice system. On a daily basis, he is assisting attorneys with case preparations and learning about legal proceedings. This internship aligns with Justin's goal of attending law school.
Hibbah Karim
Hibbah is interning at the Pregnancy Aid Center. At this organization, Hibbah works with low income and uninsured patients to increase their access to affordable care. This community-based women's health clinic is an important complement to Hibbah's public health science education.
Grace Lee
Grace Lee is intening at the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health where she works with COVID-19 testing materials. Her team ensures that devices are effecient and safe for the public. This work is particularly crucial due to the many new variants of the virus.
Rachel Levine
In her State Department internship, Rachel is researching cases of enviornmental defenders persecuted by the South American agribusiness and logging industries. She is using open source materials to create timelines and uncover the fates of the environmental defenders to inform US policies and programs.
Sara Rike
Sara is interning in the Human Resources Department at Search for Common Ground, a peacebuilding organization working to end violent conflict throughout the world. She has collaborated with non-US staff to interview and hire new employess and on the development of a new recruitment toolkit.
Marie Caira Ruiz
In her World Bank internship, Marie works with the Development Impact Evaluation Analytics team. She is learning best coding practices for cleaning and preparing large datasets. A key takeaway has been her ability to troubleshoot coding errors and resolve issues independently.
Emma Sharpe
Emma is interning at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Advancements Department. She reasearches and contacts foundations for potential donations and is learning about grant writing. She is thankful to be acquiring a patient advocacy perspective.
Dhruva Someshwar
Dhruva is interning in the Office of Policy Analysis at the Department of the Interior. He writes reports, collects, and analyzes sensative data then presents this work. His favorite part of the internship is being meaningfully invoved in the execution of new federal priorities.
Anya Trudeau
Anya is interning at Health Resources & Services Administration's Community Health Center where she gathers and transfers data and analyzes health policy. Anya feels lucky to be obtaining concrete skills that she can transfer to other work experiences.
Jalen Walker
While interning with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Jalen assists agents with covert purches by utilizing an undercover instagrem account and digitial intelligence platform/ Jaden has also observed a Taser training briefing and visited a K-9 facility.
Stefany Zelaya
Stefany is interning at Madison Fields with its New Day Project. This farm-based approach to personal and communal well-being hosts retreats and coordinates nature walks. Stefany is working on a team developing and implementing a retreat for women in college.
2020 Scholars
Marian Geiger
My decision to take an unpaid internship during this uncertain time was a challenge. However, the financial support I received made it an easier decision because I saw it as an investment in my personal and career development. I am very grateful to the Eisen Family for granting me this opportunity.
Jazmin Rivera
Although this was an unpaid internship, I was so grateful to have received the Eisen Scholarship, especially with the unexpected circumstances with COVID-19. I was able to use these funds towards rent and Wi-Fi that would be needed for the internship. I would truly like to give my thanks and gratitude to the Eisen family for their generosity. I am excited to continue my journey towards becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and helping communities in need.
Rebecca Mohrmann
This scholarship has allowed me to stay in College Park, an environment where I can really focus on my work. Additionally, I feel as if this scholarship is a confirmation that there are people out there that believe in students' endeavors, including myself and my peers. Having support from the Eisen Family, even in uncertain times, reminds me of why I am proud to be a Terp and be a part of the UMD community. I am forever grateful for the Eisen Family's generosity. Thank you.
Liu (Christine) Yige
When my internship turned virtual at the beginning of summer, stipends were canceled. I was reconsidering my commitment to this position. Fortunately, my internship was made possible by the Eisen Family Scholarship, and I was able to pursue an experience in international affairs research that complements my academic and professional interests.
2019 Scholars
Natalia Akopian
If it was not for [this scholarship], I would not have been able to be a summer Water Policy intern at the Environmental Protection Agency - a place I have wanted to work my entire life. Truly from the bottom of my heart, thank you!
Rachel Huston
[This scholarship] will help me focus on my work rather than worry about having enough money to commute.
Stephanie Lizzo
This award means the world to me because it truly makes a difference in my life and the experiences in which I am able to participate.
Srinidhi Nag
This is my first internship! Thanks to [this scholarship], I can now pay for university credit for my internship. I could not be more grateful to both the Eisen family, and the Fibrous Dysplasia Foundation, for seeing something in me and giving me a chance.
Maria Trovato
You have no idea what this means to me. I will now have the opportunity to do my dream internship without going into debt.
Nicholas Viggiano
Thanks to [this scholarship] I will be able to focus my time on doing quality work at my internship and have a meaningful learning experience.
2018 Scholars
Eda Kirisci
I am very grateful for this scholarship because it enabled me to be part of a team that helps people have healthier lifestyles every single day.
Anoop Patel
Thanks to this scholarship, I will be able to reduce my cost of living, as I am out-of-state student - it truly does make a difference.
Rina Goldman
The scholarship has allowed me to spend my time furthering myself as a person, learning and working without the weight of travel expenses resting on my shoulders.
2017 Scholars
Megan May
This scholarship has allowed me to work with teens who are interested in learning more about American history. Without this scholarship, I would not be able to have such an incredible opportunity.
Eliza Foster
This scholarship has helped lessen the financial burden of an unpaid internship, and I am incredibly grateful to have this priceless experience. It has introduced me to an area of education that I was previously unaware of, and I have added it to the interests and potential careers I would like to pursue post-graduation.
Andrew Deng
This scholarship made my internship experience possible; because of this scholarship, I have discovered more about a future career in law.