AARP Maryland Seeking Interns for 2017!

AARP Maryland is looking for bright, motivated undergraduates to join us in our Baltimore office in 2017! Help us promote and protect the interests of the 50+ community in Maryland and their families in areas such as financial security, caregiving, fraud, hunger and livable communities. Links to apply for the Spring 2017 internship opportunities (January-April) are located at the end of this article.

So, what's it like to intern with AARP? The following was written by our Summer 2016 intern, Rachel, about her experience interning with AARP in Maryland:

My summer working with AARP

I spent my summer working with AARP – the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization known for helping retired folk settle down into their, well, retired lives. Since I received my official employment offer in April, I have spent way too much time explaining my choice in internship to people who, evidently, are in denial of their own age and mine.

“What’s a twenty-something such as yourself doing at AARP?”

“If you’re a AARP employee, then heck, I must be old!”

“I’m not old enough to join AARP – I still have a few years.”

And my personal favorite, “AARP sends me way too many emails,” as if I am personally responsible for flooding their inboxes.

The comments arose everywhere! At dinner with family, on line at Starbucks with my AARP lanyard draped around my neck, browsing the Life Reimagined signs in the airport, even in the elevators at work, as I press the button to AARP’s floor. There’s an AARP saying, “If you don’t think ‘Real Possibilities’ when you think AARP, then you don’t know ‘aarp.’” The same goes for the people who question my internship – they just don’t know ‘aarp.’

They don’t know “aarp” because their initial perceptions of the organization overshadow the fact that I acquired a highly prestigious, paid internship after only my sophomore year of college. (Did I mention the internship is paid? It is!) They don’t know “aarp” because they don’t realize AARP provides them with unbeatable informational resources and member experiences, while also advocating for important issues such as Social Security and fraud prevention. They don’t know “aarp” because instead of taking advantage of Life Reimagined, they choose to stay trapped in a time-warp of their fading youth.

Simply put, many people don’t know “aarp.” I certainly didn’t. But since signing the dotted line to intern with AARP Maryland, I have walked into an office – day after day – to work with some of the most motivated and inspiring people I’ve ever met.

I’ve nearly mastered Sprinklr (the platform that manages their social media engagements) and all of its reporting glory. I’ve created social media content. I created an iMovie project from scratch. I’ve written for the state blog, and so much more. Oh, and I was never – not once – asked to grab coffee for my superiors.

This summer, I have learned just about anything a communications student could hope for in the 12-week limbo that is a college summer. And the best part of it all? Having an entire network of professionals in my circle, along with a newfound, deep understanding of the powerhouse organization that AARP is. The worst part: Today is my last day.

The summer has seemed to breeze by, as it always does. This time, however, I know that I spent my summer doing the best that I possibly could – in the office and out. I can’t picture my summer as being spent anywhere other than AARP.

If you would like to join our intern team for 2017, learn more and apply below!

Spring 2017 Communications Intern

Spring 2017 Community Outreach Intern

Spring 2017 Advocacy Intern