Tucker Center Gender Equity Summer Internship Program
Integral parts of the Tucker Center's mission include mentoring and providing student research experience. During the internship, students work collaboratively on ongoing gender equity-related projects within a research team. The research team may include a faculty person, graduate students, undergraduates, and high school students depending on the intern cohort. Our internship is appropriate for students who plan to, and are serious about, pursuing graduate school.
Interns are exposed to many facets of the research experience including:
- Literature review
- Data collection and entry
- Data analysis
- Synthesizing and reporting results using quantitative and qualitative methodologies
The internship runs from June to July and is a blend of in person and/or virtual. Interns are not required to be in person with the exception of a 2-3 day in person retreat at the end of the internship.
Individuals who are not U.S. citizens can apply, but to be eligible the applicant must be currently located in the U.S. and have a visa that allows them to work.
How to apply
To apply, interested students should send a resume/CV, unofficial transcript, and cover letter to the Director, Nicole M. LaVoi, PhD, by March 15.
Listen to interns
Learn more about previous interns and their internship experience:
2023 summer interns
Sophie Cole is a rising junior at St. Olaf College majoring in Philosophy and Gender & Sexuality Studies. Growing up in Minnesota playing soccer and ice hockey offered her many opportunities to experience different facets of competitive athletics. After a disabling injury, Sophie was able to apply this experience to a burgeoning coaching career. She has over seven years of youth soccer coaching experience and is passionate about providing young female athletes with a positive environment to move their bodies and build new skills.
Sophie also works as a leader in St. Olaf’s Student Support Services for Students with Disabilities program and hopes to increase the accessibility of sport and physical movement for all. Sophie’s areas of interest include the role of athletic identity, encouraging opportunities for female coaches, as well as disability and LGBTQ+ inclusion in athletics. After her undergraduate degree, she plans on pursuing a master’s in sports ethics/philosophy or sports sociology. She is honored and excited to work with the Tucker Center team this summer!
Harper Dunne is a rising senior at the University of Iowa. She is double majoring in global health studies and spanish while playing for the varsity Iowa Field Hockey team. After college she plans to apply for a Fulbright research scholarship and then seek her master’s in public health. Specifically, Harper has a passion for health equity, and her career aspirations are to utilize research and advocacy to help make policy changes that improve the health and wellbeing of underserved communities.
Alongside her interests in research and health equity, Harper competes for the Hawks, which is a consistently top five program and a regular national championship contender. Her identity as an athlete started early, as she played soccer from ages 3-18, picking up field hockey at age 13, and also competed in track in middle school and high school in Fort Worth, TX. Harper’s passion for helping other girls and women have athletic opportunities was ignited by the incredible mentorship, meaningful friendships, and self-confidence she has gained throughout her sport experiences. Because of her intersecting interests in health, social justice, advocacy, research, and athletics, she cannot imagine a more perfect opportunity than having the chance to work with the Tucker Center!
Katherine Norquist is a rising junior at Macalester College double majoring in american studies and creative writing. She is a member of the varsity women's basketball team, serving as co-captain since her sophomore year. Growing up as a multi-sport athlete, Katherine learned first-hand about the power of sports — and the community structures that support them — to transform lives, in both personal and systemic ways.
Drawing on her life-long love of women’s sports and a commitment to broadening their accessibility and resourcing, Katherine’s interest in studying gender and sports was honed through examination of recent legislative attacks on trans athletes' eligibility to participate in scholastic competition. In 2022, Katherine conducted a semester-long research project on the naturalization of binary biological sex in sports since the passage of Title IX. She imagines sports to be a microcosm through which larger societal change may occur and is thrilled to be a part of the Tucker Center’s summer cohort!
Mia Philippi is a rising senior at Sunset High School in Portland, OR, where she is a member of the varsity basketball team. Growing up playing multiple sports, Mia has always appreciated the life lessons she has learned from competing in sport, and because of this she feels passionately about supporting girls’ and women’s participation in sport. This passion led to her involvement as an advocate for Title IX through the Voice in Sport organization.
She is currently working with Voice in Sport Foundation to re-introduce the Fair Play for Women Act this summer, a bill that would strengthen Title IX education, enforcement, and compliance at both the K-12 and collegiate levels. Mia also founded the first Voice in Sport Chapter at her high school where student-athletes advocate for gender equity in their school sports programs, spread awareness and education for Title IX, and volunteer with organizations where they can serve as role models for girls in sport in their community. This model for the Voice in Sport Chapter has been expanded to over 30 high schools and colleges nationwide. This summer, Mia is looking forward to developing her research skills and using data to support the narratives about girls and women in sport with her group of equally passionate women.
Syd Pierre is a rising senior at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY, with a major in journalism and a minor in women’s & gender studies. Originally from Minneapolis, she grew up playing hockey and soccer and was a regular Gopher Women's Hockey season ticket holder, which sparked her interest in women’s sports and equity for female athletes.
At Ithaca College, Syd is the editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper, The Ithacan, for the 2023–24 academic year. She is also a recipient of the Park Scholarship, a full merit-based, four-year scholarship for students who are dedicated to media and community service. In the past, she has worked as communications intern for the Women's Sports Foundation, as well as a reporting intern for The Ithaca Voice. Her time with WSF rekindled her passion for sports equity and increased her exposure to the variety of issues that impact women’s sports. Syd is thrilled to continue to work alongside like-minded individuals who are passionate about women’s sports and to contribute to the Tucker Center this summer.
2022
- Arla Davis
- Gina Caravaglia
- Johanna Glaaser
- Mahi Jariwala
- Nicole Johnson
- Saira Nagda
2021
- Anna Goorevich
- Cecelia Kaufmann
- Liz Kim
- Jacque Davis
- Mahi Jariwala
- Maxine Simons
- Ramira Ambrose
- Sophia Liles
2020
- Cecelia Kaufmann
- Greta Sirek
- Paige Richmond
- Sam Benzing
2019
- Courtney Boucher
- Cecelia Kaufmann
- Natalie Schad
- Sarah Silbert
2018
- Hannah Silva-Breen
- Sarah Cummings
2017
- Hannah Silva-Breen
- Melissa (Koop) Curwick
2016
- Caroline Heffernan
- Matea Wasend
2015
- Anna Posbergh
- Madeline Kornfeld
2014
- Elizabeth Costello-Labedz
- Lauren (Slagel) Kleven
2013
- Brenda Senger De La Torre
- Elora Koepcke
- Emma Leyden
2012
- Alyssa Cowan
- Emma Leyden
2010
- Salma Hussein
2009
- Alicia Johnson
- Kelli (Blankenship) Trauger
2008
- Erin Morris
- Jill (Haom) Greendeer
- Sarah Atkins
- Terrence Jordan II
The internship was a fantastic opportunity for me. It gave me the opportunity to do graduate level research as an undergraduate.