The PHInternship is a select program for high school students seeking an active volunteer and leadership experience.

PHI relies on PHInterns to bridge cultural divides through local community involvement.  Managed by Sophia Paray, Director of Programs, PHInterns spearhead their own unique initiative through Passion Projects to directly support existing PHI programs. As a PHIntern, you get to:

• Create your own passion project
• Act as a liaison between PHI and your own high school, planning events and collaborations with student organizations.
• Facilitate and volunteer at community events hosted by PHI 

Details and Timeline

PHInterns will be expected to uphold our "big three" values:
1)   Volunteerism

• Table at community events, representing PHI as a youth-powered organization.
• Sort and package materials in Balikbayan boxes for our various programs during "PHI Day," our bi-annual volunteer event.
• Research and share Filipino culture with community members.

2)   Leadership and Communication

• Bring PHI’s mission to your respective school by establishing donation drives and volunteer events with student organizations.
• Expand PHI’s network and promote advocacy for our core programs at school and community events.

3)   Project Development and Management

• Design a passion project that focuses on spreading Filipino culture and PHI’s mission in your local community.
• PHInterns will choose a PHI program to support. Projects may include item drives, volunteer events, and community outreach.
• PHInterns are also paired with undergraduate City Directors for mentorship in project planning and execution.

This position lasts from August – May, varying from 2-4 hours/week.

From August to December, the main involvement of PHInterns is passion project proposals surrounding a specific community partner in their high school. Following a week-by-week curricula developed by the Executive Board, PHInterns create asset-based solutions to identified issues, outlined by one of our four programs. PHInterns are expected to work within the programming frameworks we have established, but are also encouraged to be creative in how they execute our programming.  At the conclusion of PHIntern project ideation, teams will present their ideas and the necessary steps to execute their plans.

From January to May, PHInterns take ownership and responsibility of the project’s goals and execution. PHInterns act as direct managers of the execution of their project, including outreach, media, logistics, and fundraising efforts. PHInterns are expected to carry out their own programming within their high school organizations and other extracurricular involvements to contribute to their project execution.

Learn more about the PHInternship with some of our 2025–2026 PHInterns!