The Corallite Internship: Why It Matters and How to Join

The Corallite Internship is our hands-on path for students who want real experience in ocean science and community work. It is built around a simple idea. Learn the tools. Do useful work. Share what you learned so others can use it.

Why this work matters

• Reefs protect our coastlines, support fisheries, and anchor local economies.

• Good decisions in the field start with careful work in the lab and clean data.

• Students who learn to collect, analyze, and explain results can plug into real projects fast.

• Your capstone helps fill a gap. Maybe it is a simple monitoring tool, a small outreach product, or a tidy dataset that others can build on. Small, finished work moves conservation forward.

What you will do

• Join field days and cleanups to connect local action to reef health

• Learn basic lab skills tied to coral symbiosis and reef monitoring

• Help with data collection and simple analysis for ongoing projects

• Create one capstone that solves a small, real problem

• Share your work through a short write-up, poster, or quick video

Who should apply

• Undergrads or grads from any major

• People who follow through and show up on time

• Students who want a small portfolio they can point to later

Time and structure

• A short, focused term with weekly touchpoints

• Mix of field, lab, and outreach hours

• Mentorship from our team and partners

Funding

Students who complete the internship will receive financial support. The exact amount is being finalized now. We will announce stipend details before the next cohort begins. The goal is to remove barriers so you can focus on the work.

ImportantThe application to become a Coralite is separate from the funding process.

• To be considered for funding and to receive a copy of the funding application, email us at projectanchordown@gmail.com with your CV and a short note of interest.Suggested subject line: Corallite Funding Interest + Your NameIn 3 to 5 sentences, tell us what you want to learn and a small problem you are excited to tackle.

How to join the internship

1. Apply to be a CoralliteUse the application portal to join the internship cohort. This step places you in the program and lines you up for a capstone.

2. Apply for fundingEmail projectanchordown@gmail.com with your CV to be considered for the stipend and to get the funding application. Funding is awarded based on effort, reliability, safety, feasibility, community benefit, and budget clarity.

What you leave with

• Real experience you can talk about in interviews

• A finished project you can show

• References from people who watched you do the work

• A clearer sense of where you want to go next

Why “Corallite”?

A corallite is the tiny skeletal cup that a coral polyp builds and lives in. Thousands of corallites form the structure of a coral colony. Each one is small and precise, and together they create something strong. We use Coralite as the name for our interns because that is the spirit of the program. Small, finished units of good work that add up to real impact.