What Is the Stephenson Experiential Learning Fund (SELF) at UVA?
Funding that helps UVA B.S. in Data Science students turn classroom learning into hands-on professional experience through internships, career treks and experiential learning.
The Stephenson Experiential Learning Fund (SELF) helps eligible undergraduate data science students pursue experiences that prepare them for life after college. Funding can support internships, career treks, micro-internships, and other approved opportunities.
SELF can help cover expenses such as housing, travel, transportation, required supplies, and stipends for time spent on micro-internships – costs that might otherwise make these experiences difficult to pursue.
Part of the Stephenson Bicentennial Scholarship Program, SELF helps B.S. in Data Science (BSDS) students pursue opportunities to put their skills to work beyond the classroom, explore where data science can take them, and gain experience that helps shape their career path. The fund is available to BSDS majors in good academic standing while they are enrolled at UVA.
“The goal of SELF, and the generous donors who made the fund possible, is to alleviate the financial barriers that BSDS students face,” says Sarah Rogis, Director of Career and Professional Development, “so that they can focus on applying their classroom learning to real-world problems, explore the rich possibilities that exist in the field of data science, and build skills and connections that will allow them to maximize their post-graduation success.”
Why Does Experiential Learning Matter in Data Science?
Data science is learned by doing. While students build technical knowledge in the classroom, experiences such as internships and career exploration help them put those skills to work on real questions with real people, organizations, and data.
These experiences can also shape students’ paths in ways that are not always immediately obvious. When Kayla Kim (BSDS 2027) joined the 2026 NYC Trek, she initially thought the most important outcome would be finding a concrete job to pursue. Looking back, she sees a broader and more lasting impact: conversations with UVA alumni helped expand her perspective, strengthen her confidence and soft skills, and introduce her to new professional resources and interests (including a favorite career-focused podcast, Per My Last Email).
Those connections continued to influence Kim well beyond the trip. They helped her collaborate effectively with a summer internship team from varied backgrounds and prompted her to reconnect with an engineer she met during the Trek – an exchange that contributed to her decision to pursue a master’s degree in machine learning. “The impacts from the Trek have been tremendous,” she said, “and I don’t see them disappearing any time soon.”
Experiential learning helps students build professional networks, explore potential career paths, gain confidence working with data, and develop skills valued by employers and graduate programs. For B.S. in Data Science students, these experiences can help turn a broad and versatile degree into a career path that is distinctly their own.
How Has SELF Supported Students?
During the 2025-26 academic year, SELF supported 35 BSDS students through internships, a career trek to New York City, and micro-internships. Those experiences gave students exposure to organizations and career paths across technology, consulting, finance, healthcare, education, and government.
Internships
SELF funded seven internships, helping students meet practical needs such as summer housing, relocation, and other approved costs. Students gained experience with analytics, SQL, data visualization, AI, reporting, and data engineering at organizations including McKinsey, Barclays, AT&T, Navy Federal, SMBC Group, Table22, and mEducation Alliance.
For Oliver Andress, SELF support helped make it possible to fully focus on his summer Business Analyst role with McKinsey & Company in Washington, D.C., where he worked with a client implementing technology in government healthcare. “SELF provided helpful support for my professional transition, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the fast-paced demands of the role,” he said.
That ability to fully engage in the experience reinforced an important lesson about applying analytical work in professional settings: “Having the right answer is not everything,” Andress said. “You also need to be able to build the trust and confidence required for leaders to make difficult decisions.”
Career Treks
In January 2026, SELF supported 15 BSDS students on a five-day New York City Career Trek. Students met first-hand with alumni and leadership in data-driven roles at a range of companies, including Google, Morgan Stanley, Garner Health, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Rivanna AI, and NBA Global.
The trek gave students an early look at how data science is used across industries while helping build their professional networks.
Micro-Internships
SELF supported 13 students through short-term, project-based micro-internships. Students worked on financial market analytics and UVA career outcomes data, building visualizations, analyzing datasets, and communicating findings to stakeholders. These projects help students gain practical experience early in their academic careers and begin building portfolios.
How SELF Alleviates Financial Barriers
SELF is designed to reduce practical barriers to participation. Funding may help offset approved expenses such as:
- Housing, lodging, travel, and transportation
- Professional attire and required supplies
- Other approved costs associated with an internship or experiential-learning opportunity
FAQs
Who can apply for SELF?
SELF is available to declared BSDS majors enrolled at UVA who are in good academic standing. Funded experiences must take place while students are enrolled in the program.
Is SELF the same as the Stephenson Scholarship?
No. SELF is part of the broader Stephenson Bicentennial Scholarship Program, but it is distinct from the Stephenson Scholarship.
The scholarship provides full financial support to a limited number of students based on academic promise, financial need, leadership potential and a commitment to the common good.
SELF supports experiential-learning opportunities for BSDS students based on their interests and ambitions, not their financial circumstances.
What types of opportunities can SELF support?
SELF can support internships, research projects, career treks, micro-internships and other hands-on opportunities that help students apply data science, explore careers and build professional experience.
What if I find an opportunity that I cannot afford?
One of the primary goals of SELF is to reduce financial barriers that might otherwise limit access to valuable experiential-learning opportunities.
Depending on the opportunity, SELF may help offset approved expenses such as housing, transportation, travel, professional attire and required supplies, allowing students to pursue experiences based on their interests and goals rather than financial circumstances.
How does SELF help UVA students prepare for careers in data science?
SELF helps students develop skills and experiences that employers value, including problem-solving, communication, teamwork, professional networking and applying technical skills in real-world environments.
Many students use SELF-supported experiences to better understand the industries, organizations, and challenges they may want to pursue after graduation.
Will I have opportunities to connect with employers and alumni?
Yes. Many SELF-supported experiences are designed to help students build professional networks. Through internships, career treks and industry engagement opportunities, students connect with professionals, alumni, and organizations across technology, healthcare, finance, consulting, government and other sectors.
How can students learn more or apply?
Students can visit the Stephenson Experiential Learning Fund webpage for program details, eligibility requirements, and application information. They may also contact the Stephenson Scholars program or visit the School of Data Science Office of Student Support to discuss opportunities and funding options.
Looking Ahead
In 2026-27, the School plans to expand internship funding, career treks, and micro-internship opportunities, while adding a professional development fund for fourth-year students and a student showcase.
As UVA prepares to graduate its first BSDS cohort in May 2027, SELF will continue to help students pair a rigorous data science education with the experiences, networks, and career clarity that shape what comes next. That support is especially important in a hiring environment where, as Rogis notes, employers are looking for “evidence of applied learning and proof of professional competencies like teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking and communication.”
“The experiences that SELF supports allow undergraduate students the opportunity to explore possible career paths, build connections, gain career clarity and confidence, and develop a competitive edge that may prove the differentiator in an increasingly competitive hiring landscape,” Rogis said.
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The application for January 2027 and April 2027 Career Treks and January 2027 Micro-Internship is now open and closes on October 11, 2026.
