Yale SOM Internship Fund Auction To Raise Money for Summer Internships in Nonprofit and Government Sectors

It’s been thirty years since SOM students, faculty, and staff first assembled to auction off items for the school’s Internship Fund. Over the decades, the Fund has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in stipends to students interning in the nonprofit and public sectors. And while the Internship Fund holds several fundraisers throughout the year, the auction remains far and away the most popular event. Part of the reason is the theme — this year’s is SOMonopoly — and part is the breadth of items to bid on. On April 16, students and faculty will congregate to bid on nearly 200 items, including swimming lessons with Hakan Bas '10, a former captain of the Turkish swim team; skydiving with Assistant Professor Erica Dawson; and two days and nights at the Guatemalan coffee farm and nature preserve owned and managed by two SOM alumni.

The Internship Fund raises about $150,000 each year, with roughly a quarter coming from the auction. This year, applications for funding have nearly tripled and the auction remains crucial to the Internship Fund reaching its goal. The theme, a play on the board game Monopoly, is supposed to underscore the uniqueness of the school’s mission and the fact students study the concept of monopoly in class. "We chose it because we wanted to find a special theme for the Internship Fund’s 30th year that said something about both the fund and SOM," said Meghan Pressman '10. "It provides a plethora of opportunities to tie the theme to SOM’s curriculum, faculty, and student body."

The silent part of the auction will take place in the SOM Hall of Mirrors through Thursday, April 16. The live auction will be held that night in Donaldson Commons, co-hosted by Dean Oster and Assistant Professor Rodrigo Canales.