少女福利

For the second year in a row, Saint Michael鈥檚 College has received a $120,000 grant from the Freeman Foundation, aimed at supporting international internship opportunities for students.

The 2026 grant matches the 2025 amount, which was the largest Freeman Foundation grant to date.

Saint Michael鈥檚 College is one of 33 colleges and universities in the U.S. to receive an annual grant from the Freeman Foundation. At Saint Michael鈥檚, the grant supports the听Global Citizenship International Internship Program, which enables students to be placed in an internship in Asia for eight weeks. The scholarships help offset the costs of internship placement, professional development support, travel, and housing.

Since 2019, the College has sent dozens of students to Seoul, South Korea; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Hong Kong thanks to grants from the Freeman Foundation. This summer,听15 Saint Michael鈥檚 students spent eight weeks in South Korea and Vietnam听through the grant-funded internship program听exploring experiences connected to听a myriad of听academic disciplines,听from philosophy and political science to health science and environmental studies.

Interns in Vietnam funded by the Freeman Foundation during the summer 2024. (Photo courtesy of Jarrett Sweet)

The mission of the Freeman Foundation is 鈥渢o strengthen the bonds of friendship between this country and those of the Far East,鈥� through an exchange of ideas and cultural experiences, which will help create mutual understanding.

The Global Citizenship International Internship Program at Saint Michael鈥檚 is one of many programs run through the College鈥檚 Institute for Global Engagement, in addition to Study Abroad,听International Student and Scholar Services,听the Peace Corps Prep Program, and other international internship experiences.听The Institute serves as a collaborative hub of international activity, promoting global learning and literacy, deepening intercultural competency and inclusion, and supporting opportunities for global engagement.

鈥淭he Freeman Foundation scholarship,听year after year,听fortifies听our students’ academic and professional trajectories,鈥� said听Professor Jeffrey听Ayres, Director of the Institute for Global Engagement.听鈥淏efore听participating听in the eight-week internships each summer, many students view global engagement primarily through an academic lens听or听feel uncertain about traveling abroad.听Our students return from these experiences profoundly听transformed by听their听deep immersion in dynamic global work environments.听We see them step back onto campus with enormous self-confidence, greater global literacy and cross-cultural empathy, and an array of career-ready professional skills that top-tier employers actively听seek.鈥�

Students who have听participated听in this internship program through Saint Michael鈥檚 have gone on to secure competitive post-graduate opportunities around the world, such as those through the Fulbright Foundation, in addition to placement in prestigious graduate programs across the country.听The Institute for Global Engagement also supports students in applying for post-graduate听scholarships, fellowships, and international job placements.

少女福利 Saint Michael鈥檚 College听

Saint Michael’s College, founded in 1904 on principles of social justice and leading lives of purpose and consequence, is a selective, Catholic college just outside Burlington, Vermont, one of the country’s best college towns. Located between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain, our听closely connected听community guarantees听housing听all four years and delivers an internationally respected liberal arts education, preparing students for fulfilling careers and meaningful lives. Young adults here grow intellectually, socially, and morally, learning to lead with empathy and professionalism, and to听be responsible for听themselves, each other, and their world.听听听