Detail of the Dolores Huerta Center mural, featuring two blue butterflies against a backdrop of orange rainbow arcs.

California Community College
Internship Program (CCCIP)

About the Program

The California Community College Internship Program (CCCIP) is a year-long program (Summer-Spring) that provides qualifying graduate students the opportunity to gain valuable professional experience in a community college setting. CCCIP is coordinated through UC Irvine and reaches the UC Santa Cruz campus in addition to the UCI and UC Riverside campuses. At UCSC, the program is shepherded by the Teaching & Learning Center (TLC) with partnership from the Division of Graduate Studies. Our current community college partner is Hartnell College in Salinas.

Selected CCCIP interns receive mentorship from current community college faculty, focused training and professional development, opportunities for in-classroom observations and teaching experiences, and other experiences aimed at preparation for a community college faculty career. Selected interns also receive a $7,500 fellowship for the program, paid out in the Summer.

The program is open to Ph.D. and Master’s students in all disciplines. To be eligible, graduate students must be enrolled full-time, be in good academic standing, and have advanced to candidacy prior to starting the program in the Summer.

Applications are reviewed based on the following criteria: the perceived benefit the program will have on the applicant’s career goals; clear communication about why the community college setting is ideal for the applicant; and a demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging in and outside of the classroom. The selection committee, consisting of TLC staff, the UCI CCCIP coordinator, and the Hartnell College faculty mentor coordinator, also takes into account the community college partner’s current needs and availability of faculty mentors when selecting for strong intern matches. Based on funding resources and mentor availability, the committee can select between 5-10 interns each year.

Program requirements include:

  • Specialized professional development sessions, hosted in a virtual synchronous format by UC Irvine, focused on course design, inclusive teaching, and career development in a community college setting. (Summer)
  • Internship commitment of at least two quarters. (Fall required; Winter and/or Spring, as determined by intern and faculty mentor)
  • Completion of an Individual Learning Plan that outlines all required and desired internship activities (e.g., classroom observation hours, post-observation reflection assignments, informational interviews with community college administrators and faculty, etc.), prepared and reviewed by the intern and community college faculty mentor. (Fall)
  • Development of core teaching position application documents, including a Teaching Statement and Diversity Statement, with feedback from the community college faculty mentor. (Fall, ongoing)
  • Enrollment in 2-5 units of internship or course credit at home institution per quarter of participation. (Currently at UCSC, this requirement is met through departmental independent study credits.)
  • Online orientation and internship cohort meetings. (Fall, Winter, and Spring)
  • One-on-one check-in meetings with the CCCIP Coordinator at UC Irvine. (Fall)

For more information about the program, please visit UC Irvine’s California Community College Internship Program webpage.


How to Participate

Applications to the 2025-2026 California Community College Internship Program will open in late Winter Quarter 2025. Program commitments begin in Summer 2025.

For a preview of the application process, please visit the UCI CCCIP webpage.


Current Interns

Valeria Alonso Blanco, Psychology

Carlos Cruz, History

Davida DuBois, Chemistry & Biochemistry

Jillian Porter, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology

Marina Segatti, Feminist Studies

Sylvane Vaccarino, Psychology

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