Vermont Business Magazine Saint Michael’s College recently received $120,000 from the Freeman Foundation, aimed at supporting international internship opportunities for students.
Since 2019, the College has sent dozens of students to Seoul, South Korea; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Hong Kong thanks to grants from the Freeman Foundation. This year’s grant is the largest the College has received from the foundation to date.
The mission of the Freeman Foundation is “to strengthen the bonds of friendship between this country and those of the Far East,” through an exchange of ideas and cultural experiences, which will help create mutual understanding.
Saint Michael’s College is one of 33 colleges and universities in the U.S. to receive an annual grant from the Freeman Foundation. At Saint Michael’s, the grant supports the Global Citizenship International Internship Program, which enables students to be placed in an internship in Asia for eight weeks. The scholarships help offset the costs of internship placement, professional development support, travel, and housing.
The Freeman Foundation-funded Global Citizenship International Internship Program at Saint Michael’s is one of many programs run through the College’s Institute for Global Engagement.
“These scholarships help Saint Michael’s students develop 21st-century workplace-relevant skills such as global and intercultural competency, leadership, professionalism, and communication across a wide range of academic majors and industries,” said Professor Jeffrey Ayres, Director of the Institute for Global Engagement at Saint Michael’s College. “These internships not only enhance a student’s career prospects, but they also advance the College’s liberal arts mission by contributing to the development of a well-rounded individual who is more confident, empathetic, curious, ethical, and adaptable – ideal for tackling the challenges facing us as a national and global community.”
Students who have participated in this internship program through Saint Michael’s have gone on to secure competitive post-graduate opportunities, such as those through the Fulbright Foundation, in addition to placement in prestigious graduate programs across the country. This year, both Saint Michael’s students awarded Fulbright grants had completed international internships in Vietnam in summer 2024.
About the Institute for Global Engagement
The Institute for Global Engagement at Saint Michael’s College serves as a collaborative hub of international activity, promoting global learning and literacy, deepening intercultural competency and inclusion, and supporting opportunities for global engagement.
The Institute supports the College’s Study Abroad Office, international internship experiences, the Peace Corps Prep Program, internationally oriented student clubs and college programming, and a curriculum that includes a variety of globally themed majors and minors. The Institute also assists with applications for post-graduate scholarships and international job placements. International students can also use the Institute as a resource for immigration and visa concerns, as well as for assistance in engaging with the campus community and adjusting to life in the U.S.
About Saint Michael’s College
Saint Michael’s College, founded in 1904 on principles of social justice and leading lives of purpose and consequence, is a selective, Catholic college just outside Burlington, Vermont, one of the country’s best college towns. Located between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain, our closely connected community guarantees housing all four years and delivers an internationally respected liberal arts education, preparing students for fulfilling careers and meaningful lives. Young adults here grow intellectually, socially, and morally, learning to lead with empathy and professionalism, and to be responsible for themselves, each other, and their world.
9.24.2025. COLCHESTER, VT – Saint Michael’s College www.smcvt.edu
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