Communications Summer Internship Jobs in Elgin, IL

NOTE: WE DO NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS THROUGH THIS SYSTEM. Per the instructions below you must fill out the GoogleForm to submit a full application. This also requires looking at our website and taking your EQ assessment. We will no longer respond to incomplete applications. Thank you for your interest and time.
In just less than 10 years, by 2030, 50% of school-aged children will be failing or not enrolled in schools. Education is the biggest human rights / civil rights issue of this generation. We are optimizing learning for the individual by focusing on a child's emotional intelligence through technology that increases all levels of learning.
Overview

• STRUT Learning is a bootstrapped emotional intelligence technology startup. STRUT's tools support learning theory to shorten learning time, increase knowledge retention (and thus increase test scores and grades), increase engagement, and increase satisfaction in a measurable fashion.
• Part-time/full-time internships will focus on academics, technology, curricula, and research as well as UX/UI, marketing, social media, and fundraising development. Roles continue to change as we progress. While the projects are rooted in research, it will involve strategy, innovation, operational consistency, and the ability to work in autonomous teams.
• For an immediate start; Dates are negotiable throughout the year.

Currently Seeking Applications for-
1 member(s), 0 summer intern(s) [2022], 2 product/project/ year-round intern(s), and 0 volunteers. [PLEASE NOTE, For project and year-round internships it is a rolling application. For our summer full-time internship program, we will make first-round selections by late early February and our second round of selections by end of April if available openings. We also accept part-time summer internship applications. We are all truly inspired by your interest, alignment, and professional caliber. We have accepted high-school, undergraduate, and graduate (MA, PHD) students, to working professionals (early career, mid and late-career). [Updated 10/21]
How to Apply
Consider the following before you apply:

• Your interest in emotional intelligence, education, and/or education technology
• Your desire and ability to work in a startup environment
• Your ability to work in an autonomous virtual team with high levels of ambiguity and your proactive communication skills
• Your general availability/duration
• Your ideal position (do you want to grow into the role long-term or are you looking for a short-term role/internship?)

REQUIRED: Fill out googleForm application: Applications without this will not be reviewed.

• https://forms.gle/t4Q6nBbFg3J46xEcA
• We reply to EVERY applicant

Internship Features
High-Impact Work Experience

• Want to help change the landscape of education and education technology? Our goal is to not only develop technology for learners but to develop strategies and technologies for the entire sector.
• Want to get on the bottom floor of a new social cause startup? Create societal good with measurable impact while exponentially growing market valuation. Join a startup team with a founder whose previous 2 startups received series B ($15M) and series A ($2M) level of funding commitment in less than 1 year each. The goal is to prove the model and raise $2.5M in less than 1 year.
• Join a founding team of 12 equity members that is rapidly growing. In his 2 previous startups, all staff members were cultivated and recruited from volunteer/ intern positions.

Leadership Development

• STRUT wants leaders who follow, not followers or leaders who do not follow. We cultivate a culture of autonomy, growth-mindedness, individual and group empowerment, and fun.
• Members must be able to use (or learn to use quickly) relevant technology: project management, knowledge management, and communication tools. They must be able to identify obstacles and seek and recommend solutions. Must be disciplined, goal-focused individuals who can assess situations and make on-the-spot decisions that affect multiple aspects of the organization.
• You must want to work in an organization that is fueled by passion, led by strong, experienced, leaders, but with the flair of a startup. Suits and ties need not apply. Only those who are willing to do anything it takes to succeed are welcomed. It is not about titles or badges.

Career Support

• STRUT welcomes interns who want to stay with the organization after the internship, as opportunities are available. As we grow, STRUT hopes to offer plenty of potential opportunities. STRUT strives for a model of 2/3 promotion from within, and 1/3 from outside. All previous startup staff were volunteers, interns, or contractors first.

Qualifications

• Must have at least 2 years of professional work experience or equivalent (e.g. research, internships)
• Takes ownership of projects and delivers in advance of deadlines
• Has a track record of success in academic and professional settings
• Displays exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills (proactive communication)
• Has a passion for social change, learning, education, technology and/ or startups
• Is skilled (or wishes to be) in Foosball, Pacman Smash air hockey, and/or Pop-a-Shot (for when we get an office)

About the Organization
STRUT is a NEW high-growth, technology-based, social venture optimizing individualized learning through emotional intelligence. STRUT's tools support learning theory to shorten learning time, increase knowledge retention (and thus increase test scores and grades), increase engagement, and increase satisfaction in a measurable fashion. Currently, most edTech optimizes or adapts content. Instead, we will optimize the overall experience for the learner, not just the content, in a simple clear manner. We plan to make technologies that optimize individual learning for schools and the education technology marketplace (B2B). Ever present is the end in mind: changing learning and exiting. We are working with psychologists, education academics, startups, technology, social-emotional learning, and educators. Our advisers include professors, researchers, edTech judges, and startup funders.
Snapshot Status

• Strong membership team (academic thought leadership, edtech development, curricula development, marketing, operations, and sales) (a very gender, ethnic, and experientially diverse team - about 50% female and 70% people of color on all levels)
• Pioneering the SEL + tech academic space (3 conference paper accepted, 1 invited review, 1 IRB study approved, 1 published, and 2 in process for implementation (non-experimental correlational, phenomenological, and case study on SEL. technology, and EQ technology), and currently in process for an IRB study on our EQ360 Assessment)
• edTech modeling, wireframing, UXUI, prototyping, and alpha and beta development completed. Currently working on advanced UXUI and adaptive EQ technology.
• curricula modeling alpha set of lessons (academic, standards, and integrated fashion) with 40 lessons complete
• developed framework for SEL diagnostic assessments; on 11th upgrade for community, schools, and corporate.
• marketing rebrand (logo, brand template, website, collateral) getting ready to grow traction/ influence
• Initial FF round end, developing angel and grant proposals
• Board and Advisory board activated; developing principal and education commission
• The first product (EQ360 formerly SELDA), an academic-based, free EQ360 assessment, released in 01/20 and on its final upgrade.(www.eq123.org)
• The second product (eMojo: EQ Summit) a K-8 educator and parent EQ/ hybrid learning on-demand and live (remote) summit run on eMojo Summit (www.equip2achieve.org)
• Third product (eMojo: Homeschool), Common Core curricula/ SEL curricula + EQ technology for 3rd and 4th grade, beta releasing in Fall 2021
• Fourth product (eMojo: School) Figma prototype created for students, teachers, principals, and parents; adaptive EQ features and analytics. Currently working on user design testing.

Some possible roles:
Admin Manager: Do you drive your roommates crazy organizing everything? Drive us crazy instead! Start-ups by nature tend to be disorderly because moving forward means scrambling in ten directions at once. We need someone to keep things just this side of complete chaos. Make others do your bidding!
Conference Aficionado: Enjoy meeting and connecting people for a cause? Enjoy campaign-like projects with strong energy, a quick start, and a strong finish? Interested in creating one of the largest EQ/ SEL conferences to help address the challenges so many are facing right now with remote learning, COVID, social challenge...? Join us in our effort to put on a digital, asynchronous conference on our own EQ adaptive platform. We will have committees for speakers, co-hosts, co-partners, sponsors, etc...
Public Relations: Enjoy telling stories? Enjoy sharing? Help us share our vision, products, and successes with others! We have developed marketing tools and products but we need your help to let others know. Without your help, we cannot embark on changing learning, education or technology. Help us!
Wordsmith/ (Grant/ Marketing) Writer: Want to help change the world through words? While talk can be cheap, the right words can create a lasting impact. Use your creative yet logical wordsmithing super-skills to pitch our technologies and projects in grants and contracts. Let's raise some funds and get off the Ramen! (though it tastes so good!). Did I mention the commission?
Technology Modelling: Want to build without getting your hands dirty? (and without gloves). Work with a tech dev shop and help lead the strategy, architecture, and management of our main product. You hold the keys to our secret sauces: ketchup, teriyaki, Korean bbq... Let's build the MVP, prove its impact in schools, and solve the problems of education.
UX/UI Design: Want the most amount of flexibility even within a startup? Like to work independently at any hour? Help turn our vision into images, graphics, and photos that evoke engagement and action. Translate our thoughts and words into action. From designing t-shirts, stickers, to community engagement graphics flyers. Help tell our story.
Partnership/ Business Development: Enjoy meeting new people more than being by yourself? Are you constantly following up with family, friends, and contacts? Enjoy the idea of pitching a vision or idea more than just simple products? or products that can help change the world, more than a widget? If you think you can talk, then help us grow our network of community and business partnerships, so others have an opportunity to create change with us. Help tell our story and build friends.
Research Assistant: White lab coats on. Nearly all of our concepts will be supported by research. However, since we are pushing new technology, we will also be creating research. Enjoying detective work and being critical? Want to write academic justifications and create new research? We will do real-world studies and publish. If you look up "social-emotional learning," "elementary," and "technology" there are limited relevant articles. You should have an excellent command of research metrics from both this millennium and the previous one.
Other possibilities include team development (leadership), crowdfunding, social media, and videographer; as well as a successful technology-based entrepreneur (who has exited) to join our 10 member advisory board.