Summer Internship Grantee Program

The Hive experimented with supporting four 5C students who were awarded innovation and design internships with companies and organizations out in the world, who needed additional funding for living, travel, food, and other miscellaneous expenses. In return, we asked them to document and reflect on their experience and share what they gained from their roles in the form of a written blog.

Here are our four grantees. Learn more from them about their internship experiences with their partner companies, their personal and professional growth, and the envisioned real-world impact of their work in their individual blog posts.

• Mira Shah (Pitzer ’27) completed an internship with early-stage startup ABCD (American-Born Creative Desi), conducting user experience (UX) and market research. ABCD (American-Born Creative Desi) is a startup building a curated online marketplace to support South Asian Americans in connecting more deeply with their culture.
• Zo Pancoast (Scripps ’25) completed an internship with The Better Lab, a health design research organization that uses human-centered design to improve healthcare systems, services, and experiences.
• Elizabeth Ortega (Pomona ’27) completed an internship with the Green Jobs Board, a specialized career platform focused on the climate, sustainability, and environmental sectors.
• Amanda Oluwatosin Adaeze Eric (Pomona ’25) completed an internship with Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) in Nairobi, Kenya, a global nonprofit organization that combines design and community development to create “productive public spaces”: well-designed, community-led projects addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges.