Program Information
Rising Freshman - Graduating Seniors
Georgetown University Washington, DC
Seven Days - Sunday to Saturday
July 9th - July 15th, 2023
July 16th - July 22nd, 2023 *
View Program Schedule
$3,500 USD
Click for Financial Aid
International Leadership & Business Internship
Launch a real start-up
*ANNOUNCEMENT: Each internship has a limited number of slots for enrollment. All slots for both sessions have been filled and we are no longer accepting new enrollments for this year. Visit lichangesummer.org/2024 for more information on next year's internships.
The Program
The Leadership Initiatives International Leadership & Business Internship is taking our first-of-its-kind accelerated internship to the next level. Students will choose an entrepreneur from the developing world to partner with and assist in developing their start-up business. During this program, interns will learn how to skillfully build a business while simultaneously calculating risk – the essentials of constructing a successful enterprise.
Interns work closely with Georgetown University professors and business professionals in writing business plans, developing research skills, and critical communication skills. During this intensive program, students will learn from experts about business analytics, marketing planning, customer and market insights, as well as study the art of cross-cultural communication to understand the international business landscape and complexities faced by aspiring entrepreneurs.
Along with guest speakers and interactive panels, interns have the unprecedented opportunity to interact with some of Washington’s top business leaders. These experts will lead a series of skill-development workshops to help students create a business plan for our own “Shark Tank” style presentation. Each student-proposed solution will be implemented by the start-up with a full grant from our sponsors changing the life of their business partner forever.
Students will present their business proposal and allocate seed money to decide the company's name, their brand, execute their marketing plan, and even decide the products they will sell. The best business pitches will be selected by the grant committee to receive additional funding over the course of one year.
Secure a Grant
At the internship, students are partnered directly with leaders from Amazon, Microsoft, and Lockheed Martin to provide the support, resources and opportunities for students to develop strategies that cross every business function in order to innovate and drive meaningful growth to their start-up.
Work with Experts
Students intern with the Leadership Initiatives Business Development Institute at Georgetown University and work directly with one of six entrepreneurs in their area of focus. This internship is ideal for any student who wants to add practical business work experience to their resume.
Launch a Startup
Program Highlights
Emily Kim
Crean Lutheran High School
2021 International Leadership & Business Internship
From the LI staff to the aspiring entrepreneurs, everything about the International Leadership and Business Internship program has exceeded my expectation. No experience to date can compare to working hand in hand with a start-up business to build it from the ground up. My team and I developed logos and marketing plans, selected the to-store locations, created seed money budgets, and created financial tracking solutions. The opportunity to work so closely with experts and field staff to help prepare our business partner for success has inspired me to work even harder in life. LI has helped me to create invaluable friendships and relationships and I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the transformation of the Nigerian economy and community.
Explore a career in business and launch a real startup.
Intern teams have small group discussions with leading CEOs and Georgetown's School of Business professors to create innovative plans for their partner to launch their start-up.
Participants attend career counseling sessions with Fortune 500 CEOs, allowing students to understand how to create a career plan. 2021 panels will include representatives from Exxon, Booz Allen, PNC Bank, the New York Stock Exchange, the Peace Corps, and Georgetown University.
Interns partner with international entrepreneurs with vetted start-up ideas ranging from culture and fashion to construction and development. Interns develop business plans, start-up budget, human resources, financial forecasting, management, practical work calendars, marketing, and sales.
Explore a career in business and launch a real startup.
Explore a career in business and launch a real startup.
Interns explore Washington, DC and visit Georgetown University's Venture Lab, visit to major corporate offices, tour embassies including the People’s Republic of China, France, Sweden, Israel, Austria, Brazil, Iraq, Singapore, South Korea, and Turkey, as well as a European Union lecture focused on international development and immigration issues, and experience life as a Georgetown University student in the Nation’s Capital.
Students have the rare opportunity to attend a College and Business School Admissions Panels to provide students with a firsthand account of what universities look for in their accepted students. Students speak directly with Admissions Officers from Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Georgetown, George Washington, and American University.
Explore a career in business and launch a real startup.
Undergraduate Admissions Panels
Business School Admissions Panels
Explore a career in business and launch a real startup.
Leadership Initiatives has partnered with the Georgetown University Venture Lab to immerse students in the world of venture capital and startups. Throughout the program, students meet and network with leaders from top US corporations, with 2021 panelists including Exxon, Booz Allen, Wells Fargo, NBC studios, the Peace Corps, and Georgetown University.
All students who attend one of our Summer Internship Programs will receive free SAT/ACT training through TestRocker, one-on-one admissions consulting with a former admissions officer, essay editing assistance, two letters of recommendation, and scholarship application assistance. These benefits remain available for four years to allow nominations for rising freshmen through rising seniors.
Click on each academic benefit below to learn more :
1. SAT/ACT Training
2. Admissions Panels
3. College Essay Assistance
4. Letters of Recommendation
5. College Probability Modeling
6. Personalized Websites
Jumpstart your college experience.
Summer program students will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a college admissions expert. They will help walk students through the ins-and-outs of college applications, essay writing, and scholarships.
Students can speak directly with former admissions officers from schools such as Yale, Brown & UCLA. These individuals have a minimum of 15 years of experience in the field of college admissions.
Students are recommended to have their most pressing questions about the college application process ready so they can have them answered by someone who knows the application system inside and out.
Past students have used this time to hone in on their essay topics, decide on how many colleges to apply to, and create application time lines.
College Admissions Panel
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All Youth Development Program paticipants receive one-on-one essay editing assistance from Leadership Initiatives partner University Connection.
This offer is exclusive, and not available with any other institution or program!
Each student essay will be edited to ensure it makes an excellent impression at every stage of the competitive application process. The editors will improve the style, clarity, sentence structure and coherence of your application so that your achievements are noticed.
Editors bring their experience in many different backgrounds, including Science and Technology, Commerce, Management, and the Humanities.
College Essay Review
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All participants in the Youth Development Programs will have the opportunity to have two written for them from any Leadership Initiatives staff member, including the Executive Director Marshall Bailly.
Students interns will also have the opportunity to have letters written by Leadership Initiatives partners from the International Business & Development Internship, International Public Health Internship, and International Law & Advocacy Internship.
These unique and complimentary letters are one of the most highly regarded benefits that Leadership Initiatives has. Below are sample letters from previous students:
Letters of Recommendation
Samantha Williams - Attending Harvard University
Meredith Karle - Full Scholarship to the University of North Carolina
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Leadership Initiatives creates a personalized website for each International Internship Program team highlighting their collaborative efforts with their partner in the International Business & Development Internship, International Law & Advocacy Internship, or International Public Health Internship.
The website displays your team's solutions, grant proposal, photos of your partners, and illustrates the impact your team has had on the life and community of your partners. The website link is included in your letters of recommendation, allowing colleges to independently explore the phenomenal work done by each and every student.
Personalized Website
Click here to view Youth Development Program websites.
Experience life as a student at one of the nation's most prestigious universities.
Leadership Initiatives is committed to prioritizing the health and safety of our students, staff, and broader DC community. For this reason, we have gone above and beyond to ensure safety at all of our Youth Development Programs, including regular disinfection and health screenings, social distancing, specialized training, and maintaining all DC and CDC guidelines for COVID safety.
Click here to review our health and safety measures.
Experience life as a student at one of the nation's most prestigious universities.
Participants become a part of the Georgetown community of students and staff who live together in the New South Residence Hall. Students live in two-person rooms and may select their roommate upon enrolling in the program. Leadership Initiatives will provide bedding, towels, and pillows. Each dorm room is air-conditioned and includes a bed, study desk, closet & Wi-Fi. Lounges, game rooms, laundry facilities, and our offices are located in the residence hall. With afternoon activities in the Georgetown Quad and outings along famous M Street, participants are immersed in life as a student.
Experience life as a student at one of the nation's most prestigious universities.
Leadership Initiatives provides three meals, snacks, and drinks as a part of the program tuition. Students order meals on their mobile phones from a selection of local restaurants, including Chipotle, We the Pizza, Georgetown Gourmet, Subway, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Falafel Inc., and Johnny Rockets. Meals are delivered directly to the students, and snacks and drinks are available in dorm lounges throughout the day.
Partnership Restaurants
Experience life as a student at one of the nation's most prestigious universities.
Students are responsible for the cost of travel to and from the internship. Leadership Initiatives provides program participants shuttle service between DCA or IAD airports and campus on the start and end dates of the program for a fee of $30 for DCA and $45 for IAD both ways. Upon acceptance, you will receive instructions on how to sign up for the airport shuttle service.
Leadership Initiatives staff members will meet the students at baggage claim and then escort students directly to registration at Georgetown University.
Program Tuition & Assistance
All-Inclusive Program Tuition
Student Fundraising Program
Assistance Scholarships
No-Interest Payment Plans
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Program tuition covers the cost of room and board, ground transportation during the program, a 5:1 student to faculty and staff ratio, all curriculum, and materials.
Education assistance covered by tuition includes one-on-one college admissions counseling sessions, lecture fees, mentor sessions with experts, workshops, and all academic benefits, including SAT/ACT training through TestRocker and college essay editing.
Scholarships, payment plans, and fundraising assistance are available.
All-Inclusive Tuition
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No-Interest Payment Plans
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Leadership Initiatives offers a variety of flexible options to pay for program tuition.
Zero-interest payment plans are available in three, six, nine, and twelve-month payment options.
Participants can opt to pay the entirety of their remaining tuition balance off at any point during the payment period.
Reserve a place today with a $100 refundable deposit here.
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Fundraising Assistance
Leadership Initiatives is dedicated to providing opportunities for everyone who shows drive, determination, and grit towards their future goals. We have created a fundraising department to help students participate in one of our summer internships.
If you choose the fundraising option, you will meet one-on-one with a fundraising coach who will assist in creating a comprehensive fundraising campaign.
Fundraising also allows participants to go on an 18-month payment plan with a deposit. Designed for students in financial need this fundraising option allows students to hold several fundraisers to pay for their tuition.
Click here to view the 2023 Fundraising Guide.
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Scholarships
As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, all Leadership Initiatives programs are heavily subsidized by our sponsors allowing us to offer programs with academic benefits at a lower cost than for-profit institutions.
To apply for a scholarship click here to fill out the program interest form and indicate you are interested in a scholarship.
Please note scholarships do not stack (this means you can only use one scholarship per program).
Our office in Washington, DC is open seven days a week - give us a call! A phone conversation allows us to answer your specific questions and provide you with contact information for previous intership participants and their families so that you can get a first-hand perspective.
Enroll Now
Set Up A Call Today
Join us this summer!
Contact Us
4410 Massachusetts Ave., NW #236
Washington, DC 20016
info@lichange.org
202-738-1115
Helpful LInks
Join A Webinar
Request Alumni References
Become An Intern
Testimonials
Visit The International Internship Homepage
Leadership Initiatives is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported, charitable organization as determined by the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
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