University Innovation Fellows
Applications NOW OPEN!
University Innovation Fellows (UIF) are nominated by the CIL to participate in the selective Stanford University Innovations Fellows program, which includes online training in design thinking and mentorship from the Stanford d.school. Students then apply their design thinking skills to a challenge on Swarthmore’s campus. Students build a community of practice through weekly meetings and advising from CIL staff and UIF alumni. In April, Fellows participate in an in-person, international UIF meet-up to share their experience and learn from a vibrant community.
- Requirements
- - Must be active and enrolled full time student for the full 2025 - 26 academic year- Must be in good standing with the College- Must be able to participate in online training and assignments will take place August - October- Must develop and implement a collaborative group design thinking project between September - March
- Preferred
- - Interest in or prior experience with leadership, design thinking, and/or collaborative projects- Interested in staying engaged with the CIL, UIF cohorts, and being a mentor post-program- Ability to attend the Meet-Up in Netherlands early/mid April
- Time Management Considerations
- This is an intensive, competitive internship and a campus job. We expect you to be able to devote 6-8 hours/week to it and for it to be a considerable focus for you outside of your academics. To ensure that you are set up for success, we have guidelines for what activities Fellows can be involved in concurrently:- Fellows cannot concurrently be in another project based learning program like PSRF, Inclusive Excellence Fellow, Lang Opportunity Fellow, etc. These are wonderful experiences and we encourage you the participate in them sequentially. Whatever project you are working on deserves your full attention.- Fellows cannot be in more than two leadership roles in clubs or student organizations (and ideally no more than one)- Student athletes must consider and explain how this program will co-exist with their training and competition schedules- Fellows who indicate that they are involved in more co-curricular activities than is realistic for successful participation in UIF will not be invited to interview
University Innovation Fellows 2024-2025
- Kilin Tang, '25
- Denyse Nishimwe, '27
- Cynthia Zhang, '27
- Ainsley Jane Tambling, '26
- Ye Lin, '27
- Yeimely Garcia, '26
- Noah Pearlman, '25
- Trisha Razdan, '25
- UIF Alumni
University Innovation Fellows 2023-4:
- Nana Annor Asante, '26
- George Fang, '25
- Karina Flores, '25
- Angie Angelina Kwon, '24
- Tianyue (Emma) Lang, '24
- Branley Mmasi, '25
- Liv Medeiros-Sakimoto, '25
