The Office of Community and Experiential Education (OCEE) partners across our community to ensure students have meaningful opportunities to apply learning in action, strengthen professional skills, build powerful networks, and contribute to society.
At Whittier, learning is doing. As you grow into your potential, we'll help you gain engaging experiences and guide you in reflecting on them, so that you can apply them to you personal or professional goals.
We don’t just discuss concepts and theories; we apply them. Whether it’s testing soil in our coffee orchard, analyzing policy for the City of Whittier, or designing a brand campaign for a local nonprofit, we provide the "laboratory" where your classroom learning becomes a real asset.
Experience alone isn't enough. Meaning comes from looking back, looking within, and in discussion with others. We build intentional space into our curriculum and experiential programs for you to evaluate your growth, helping you articulate what you learned, and why it matters to your future.
By applying your knowledge directly to personal and professional challenges, you develop the real-time problem-solving skills and self-awareness needed to navigate the needs of the workforce and your future.
Community engagement is a proud hallmark of a Whittier College education. Thanks to our partnerships with local organizations, you have opportunities for hands-on internships, community-engaged learning, and civic leadership that bridge the gap between the classroom and the community’s needs.
Apply your academic learning on the job. You will get exclusive access to paid internships and academic credit right here on campus, with local community partners, throughout Southern California, and across the globe. We partner with top-tier organizations like the Aerospace Corporation, City of Hope, and the United Nations to help you land opportunities tailored to your major and career goals.
Plus, we don't just leave you to figure it out on your own; we collaborate with the Career Center and your professors to help you find opportunities, apply competitively, process your experience, and translate what you've learned into skills employers are looking for.
Choose from a wide range of exclusive paid internships available on campus or with community partners. You can also find hundreds more nationwide on Handshake, our campus jobs and internship platform. Login to Handshake to search Whittier’s collection of funded internships.
Explore Jobs and Internships on Handshake
Academic internships are courses that let you earn credit while gaining hands-on professional experience. Courses offer structured support and professional development facilitated by an instructor. You may be able to earn credit and get paid for select internships.
The Civic Scholars Program empowers the next generation of civic, community, and business leaders. You’ll join a dynamic peer community dedicated to personal leadership and community impact. Together, you’ll design and lead initiatives that inform, engage, and connect our campus and local community.
In these courses, faculty take you into the world to collaborate and learn from organizations and professionals about how to apply course concepts to real-world problems.
Fellowships are competitive, funded opportunities that allow you to dive deep into academic, creative, or professional experiences outside the traditional classroom. Whether you want to launch an independent research project, work with a community organization, study a new language, or design a public service initiative, a fellowship provides financial support and professional mentorship to make it happen.
Whittier College Fellowships: We offer an impressive list of over 30 exclusive fellowship opportunities designed specifically for Poet undergraduates and funded directly by Whittier College donors and partners.
Explore Whittier Fellowships
External Fellowships: These are highly prestigious, national or international awards (such as Fulbright, Goldwater, or Gilman) funded by outside foundations, government agencies, or NGOs.
Explore External Fellowships
Finding and applying for a fellowship is a collaborative process that takes time and preparation. In the fall, learn about the fellowship process and apply between January and March.
Share your experience and impact! We prepare hundreds of students for conference participation and coordinate campus showcase events for you to share your research, internships, community service projects, and scholarly and creative works with the public.
We’re here to help you create and support learning experiences that help students apply what they’re learning in meaningful ways.
Whether you’re developing a class, class project, fieldwork, or a community partnership, we’re here to help make experiential learning intentional and sustainable for you and your students.
Our college community is a valuable resource, and our community partners play an essential role as co‑educators in our students’ learning.
By bringing together expert faculty, dedicated staff, and talented students, we co‑create meaningful, mutually beneficial projects that allow students to apply their learning while strengthening organizations that matter to the community.
experientialeducation@whittier.edu
Megan Gray Assistant Dean, Director of Community and Experiential Educationmgray1@whittier.edu
Elizabeth CardenasCoordinator, Fellowships & Experiential Educationesanche1@whittier.edu
