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The REAL Program

REAL students do some amazing things like implementing NASA simulations, excavating and cataloging artifacts from a Mission period adobe house, and creating accessible healthcare policy.

Background image: Caroline Wing '24 worked on an augmented reality project with a resident artist being featured in the Montalvo Arts Center's annual art festival.

Real Experience. Applied Learning.

Experiential Learning is key to an education through the College of Arts and Sciences. As an institution that recognizes the importance of learning beyond the classroom, we aim to provide paid research, internship, project, or creative work opportunities for all undergraduate students within the College. Through the REAL Program, students can discover their interests, gain a rich understanding of a particular field, discern their career goals, explore future employment fields, and grow their professional networks. Experiences funded through REAL last up to ten weeks during the summer; alternatively, our REAL@Work program supports multidisciplinary team-based projects during the academic quarters.

730+

Student Experiences

$2.8M+

Distributed to Students

Pull quote illustration

"My internship laid a solid foundation for my aspiration to pursue a career in law. The best thing about this experience was seeing the work I did actually impact and help the organization I was working with."  

Shelly Cormier '26, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Philosophy
HR Intern at Maitri
Stella Cortese headshot

Through her internship at Tandem, Partners in Early Learning, Stella Cortese ’26 rediscovered the power of storytelling to captivate young minds and address societal issues, inspiring her to create impactful, diverse literature for children.

Ruby Gutierrez

Senior Ruby Gutierrez combined her passions for creative writing and education in a transformative REAL Program experience teaching marginalized students in Los Angeles to explore their identities and express themselves through literature.

Nick Metz in the lab

Through a REAL Program Internship, biology major Nick Metz ’27 transformed a personal loss into a mission-driven internship, advancing aortic research at UTHealth Houston.

Danae Rivera headshot

Denae Rivera '25 completed a REAL internship as an archivist for the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley, where she worked to connect and inspire fellow Latinas.