Changing the World Starts at Home
Home to Texas™ is a summer internship and workforce development program that facilitates University of Texas undergraduates with well-paid internships and research experiences designed to help them understand the underlying values of their home communities.
The IC² Institute has partnered with UT Austin School of Undergraduate Studies and Texas Career Engagement for the program, matching first-year undergraduate students from all majors with employers in their hometowns who are seeking students with fresh and informed perspectives.
90
students participated over three years. Home to Texas students work in a variety of fields, not limited to their academic majors. Placements are for full-time (40 hours/week) positions and have included experiences in government, science, the arts, law, banking, community development, and more.
17
communities have participated in Home to Texas. Participation allows for local companies to provide work placements that are challenging for and interesting to UT Austin students. Internships that include mentoring and opportunities to learn about the organization’s mission and vision and interact with a variety of employees are favored.
$5000
is the amount a single student earns while participating on the program. This amount of money comes from community donations and the University of Texas to ensure students are well-paid for their work and research.
Summer 2022
For more information on joining the Home to Texas program, contact hometotexas@austin.utexas.edu. This page features overarching program information and history; please click here for program information.
During their experience, students enroll in a summer online course that requires local community research and analysis. Students interview members of their communities, distribute surveys and prepare reports on the challenges and opportunities they discover. Participating students develop a greater appreciation of their hometown communities, increasing the chance they will consider returning after graduation. The program demonstrates the growing commitment of UT-Austin to engage with the entire state of Texas, solidifying UT’s relationship with alumni and regional and state leaders.
“ I am having a really great time and learning lots of new things”
– Alondra Madsen, Home to Texas 2021
“Upon returning to my hometown, I see how much work people put in to make it the best place it can be and balance growth with the small town qualities it wishes to retain.”
– Elizabeth Matney, Home to Texas 2021
“Just after a month and a half in the professional work environment, I believe that I have grown tremendously in terms of my career readiness and I am eager to continue exploring what UT Austin and the Tyler community have to offer.”
– Augustine D’Eramo, Home to Texas 2021
Summer 2021
On June 1st, 2021, 46 UT Austin students kicked off their summer internships across the following 12 communities:
- Abilene area, Taylor and Jones Counties
- Amarillo area, Potter and Randall Counties
- Bastrop-Smithville area, Bastrop County
- Beaumont area, Jefferson and Orange Counties
- Boerne area, Kendall County
- Brownsville area, Cameron County
- Del Rio area, Val Verde County
- Eagle Pass area, Maverick County
- La Grange area, Fayette County
- McAllen area, Hidalgo County
- Midland-Odessa area, Midland and Ector Counties
- Tyler area, Smith County
Summer 2020
During their summer experience, in addition to working for a local employer for 40 hours each week, Home to Texas™ students interviewed community and civic leaders, connect with the local UT Austin alumni network, and report on what they have learned.
Even with the constraints of the pandemic, internships took place from June 1 to July 31, 2020 with the following selected Texas communities:
- Brownsville area, Cameron County
- Fayette, Lee, and Bastrop Counties
- Beaumont area, Jefferson, Orange, and Hardin Counties
- McAllen area, Hidalgo County
- Boerne area, Kendall County
- Midland-Odessa area, Midland and Ector Counties
- Amarillo area, Potter and Randall Counties
- Tyler area, Smith County
- Del Rio area, Val Verde County
DONATE
For more information on the program, please visit the following pages or email hometotexas@austin.utexas.edu.
- Information for Students (including the online program application)
- Information for Employers and Communities