A strong application clearly and concisely illustrates how you, the applicant, will benefit from this financial award in a way that you would not without it. It’s more than demonstrating financial need; it’s showing how you plan to take full advantage of your educational career at UC Davis and must overcome financial barriers that prevent you from participating in experiential learning opportunities – those extra- and co-curricular activities that enhance your education. Because these awards are limited, only the strongest applications will be considered. Read the tips below on how to assure you are submitting the strongest application possible.
The selection committee carefully reviews all applications to ensure they meet the criteria for their respective donors as well as demonstrate financial need and career readiness awareness. When appropriate, the committee may contact applicants to recommend consideration for a different category if the applicant’s goals and achievements are a stronger fit elsewhere.
Because committee members may not be familiar with your background or responsibilities, it is extremely important that your application clearly communicates the scope, significance, and outcomes of receiving this financial award.
Selecting an Applicant
Before drafting your application, review the recommendations for submitting a comprehensive and thoughtful application and responding to each question. This step will strengthen your submission and ensure it receives appropriate consideration for this award as a whole as well as individual donors.
Writing your application
Be substantive.
Use clear, direct language and focus on relevant information. Well-organized writing helps evaluators quickly identify your impact. Don’t assume that a demonstrated financial need is sufficient. Be thoughtful in demonstrating how you want to connect your classroom knowledge to real-world experience, and the impacts it will have on you, your profession, and the community.
Ensure every statement adds value.
Each sentence or bullet point should provide meaningful insight into your needs and impact. If you chose a specific program, tell us why that program will support and benefit you and your career aspirations.
Demonstrate excellence beyond expectations.
Clarify how your accomplishments exceed expectations, emphasizing the significance and scope of their contributions. Every year we receive more applications than awards. Make sure your materials stand out amongst the rest.
Be clear and specific.
Avoid the assumption that the committee will understand technical terms or institutional context. Define acronyms and explain specialized details in understandable language. If this financial award allows you to consider experiences that you otherwise wouldn’t have considered, walk us through your journey and how you chose that path.
Communicate sincerity and respect.
Our donors come from diverse backgrounds, and all of them want you to succeed. Show them that their investment in you and your future will lead to success for you and is a worthy cause.
Incorporate multiple perspectives.
Consider gathering input from faculty, advisors, and peers who can provide additional context or examples of your need and impact. A review of your application can also help ensure accuracy and completeness.
Review and proofread carefully.
Errors in grammar, spelling, or factual details can detract from the professionalism of your submission. Verify all information and ensure your application presents a polished and credible case.
Avoid vague generalities.
Phrases such as “expenses,” “hard worker,” or “partake in activities” should be supported by specific, verifiable examples that illustrate those aspects and qualities in action.
Recommendation for responding to specific questions
Question 6 – Year in School
This award is for undergraduates only. It does not support graduate or professional students at this time. When selecting, please consider the year you will be when you start your experiential learning opportunity, not when you submit your application.
Question 9 – Domestic or International
Your experience does not have to be local. Please tell us if it is Domestic – Continental U.S., Domestic – Non-contiguous (offshore and territories including Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Puerto Rico, etc.) or International.
Questions 11 and 12 – Expected Hours
Funding for this award is based on approximately 20 hours per week for the duration of the summer quarter (10 weeks). Though your opportunity can have more or less hours, the expectation is that applicants look for positions that involve approximately 20 hours for a 10-week period. Think comprehensively. If your experiential learning opportunity involves training, remote work, or travel during the course of your daily duties and responsibilities, you can include those hours. If your experience is less than 10 weeks, you can still apply and be considered. Use other areas of the application to support and justify the award.
Question 20 – How will these funds contribute to the completion of an unpaid experiential learning opportunity?
Discuss the financial support needed to fully complete your experiential learning opportunity, including expenses such as rent/housing, travel (fuel), dress/attire, parking, etc. If you have financial aid that doesn't fully cover your opportunity’s expenses, please discuss in this section. If you do not have or qualify for financial aid and cannot complete this experience without assistance, please discuss. A FAFSA is not required for this award, and the committee is aware that some students do not qualify for financial aid but have a significant financial need.
Question 21 – Please discuss any financial difficulty in obtaining your experiential learning opportunity.
For this section, be specific and discuss how the funds from this award will assist you. A substantive response will include more than a few words. It includes how you have thought about and connected an experiential learning opportunity to your educational career, but upon consideration, the financial barriers either make it difficult or impossible to participate. Examples of this are participation in the UCCS program where a student must be enrolled and pay for summer session in order to participate in the internship, or international programs where airfare and program fees are the responsibility of the student. This is not the same as listing living expenses; this involves financial barriers to certain types of experiences.
Question 22 – What difference will receiving these funds make to you?
If your financial situation makes it difficult for you to participate in experiential learning opportunities, or you have to focus on earning funds to pay for college-related expenses throughout the upcoming year by working, please discuss how this award will impact your decision. If you are a non-traditional student with other considerations, this section can be used to explain your situation.
Question 23 – Beyond your own career development, what impact do you hope to make by engaging in this experiential learning opportunity?
This is your chance to connect your experiential learning opportunity to career development and an understanding of the importance of these types of experiences as they pertain to classroom education. For example, if your career aspirations involve working in the community and you would like to participate in a service-based learning opportunity, how will that impact you, your career, and the community? A thoughtful response might include working in a school and learning about classroom management, or working in a clinic and learning about the value of preventative healthcare in specific communities. Some funding sources are based on impact to the community or industry. This information allows us to better determine use and appropriateness of funding sources.
Question 24 – If you do not receive this award, will you still be able to participate in your planned unpaid experiential learning opportunity?
On the surface, this is a YES/NO question; but it is more than a yes/no response. If you absolutely cannot do this without an award, tell us that you cannot by selecting "No". If you can participate, but with difficulty, tell us so by selecting "Yes." Selecting “Yes” does not exclude you, but you should use other sections to demonstrate your financial need.
Question 25 – Have you accepted an offer to participate in an internship or other form of experiential learning for summer 2026?
Priority will be given to applicants who have secured or confirmed placements. We know that some people might be in the process of confirming their placements; so, if that is the case and you are waiting for a response or you are on a waiting list, please select "Awaiting." We will connect with you further along in the application process, or you can email us to update your status.
Question 26 – Cabias Fund
This fund provides support for student internships and other career exploration activities with preference for supporting career exploration in the public policy sector with a focus on working with the Hispanic/Latinx community. If you would like to be considered for this fund, please use this section to tell us why. Discuss your public policy opportunity and how it connects to the Hispanic/Latinx community. This information may be shared with our donors, and if a clear connection is not established, your application may not be considered for this financial source. It may still be considered for other sources, and you will not have to submit another application. This section is supplemental.
Question 27 – Community Service Fund
This fund is for any type of public service or service in the non-profit sector. It cannot be used for for-profit companies and organizations, so, if your experiential learning opportunity involves a for-profit organization, do not fill out this section. If your opportunity is in K-12 education sites, colleges, universities, or established non-profits and you would like to be considered, fill out this section and discuss your role. This information may be shared with our donors and other campus departments.
Question 28 – Is there anything else you would like the selection committee to know about you or would like us to take into consideration?
This is your chance to discuss anything else you would like us to know about and consider regarding selections for this award. If you feel the application didn’t address an aspect of your situation that might impact our decision, use this space to tell us. Also, if you feel something sets you apart from other applicants, let us know.
The use of AI in generating and submitting your application
You should complete all steps of this application independently, using my own words. Generative AI may only be used to assist with grammar, punctuation, and final edits, if necessary.