The 2026 Graduate Experiential Professional Development (xPD) Internship Program wrapped up a successful summer with 18 units across UGA hosting 21 interns from a wide range of academic departments. Participating in this program gives doctoral students the opportunity to explore a diverse range of careers beyond traditional academic faculty roles in departments across campus.
The Office of Professional Development in the Graduate School, which funds these paid internships as part of its professional development programming, offers this opportunity each summer to students and campus partners. “We have been hosting these internship placements for several years, and what I’ve really loved is that we are able to take special projects and really bring them to life,” said Linden Dudley, whose department of Global Student Engagement hosted two xPD participants this summer.
The participating graduate student interns support the work of campus partners across the university while gaining experience practicing transferrable skills, establishing relationships with administrators, staff, and peers, and garnering advice and mentorship useful to their professional and career development.
A new cohort of interns is selected in March-April each year. Please reach out to gradprofdev@uga.edu with specific questions about the program.
“There are so many different programs that are involved in the xPD internship. You can kind of pick and choose what program you would like to apply for, and you can apply to as many as you want, and they all offer you something. You’re learning some kind of valuable skill no matter which program you’re in.” — Megan Fletcher
“If you want to learn something beyond what you know…the xPD program is something worth trying. I have learned so many things.” — Kwaku Danso
“I myself was actually a graduate student here at UGA. I got my Ph.D. in microbiology. I defended in 2009. I wasn’t aware of opportunities like this, that help graduate students think a little bit about what career paths, what opportunities are available to them beyond kind of traditional academia” — Laura Williams, Franklin CREATE! Program Manager
2026 Summer Graduate Internship Program Participants
Mary Akinde
Department of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics, College of Family and Consumer Sciences
Host Department: Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel
Erik Brown
Department of English, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Host Department: The Georgia Review
Trevor Cole
Department of History, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Host Department: UGA Extension Northeast District
Kwaku Danso
Department of Marketing, Terry College of Business
Host Department: Archway Partnership
Larissa do Carmo Inacio
Department of Sociology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Host Department: UGA Extension – Office of Learning and Organizational Development, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
Sophia Flemming
Department of Communication Studies, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Host Department: New Georgia Encyclopedia (University of Georgia Press)
Megan Fletcher
Department of Linguistics, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Host Department: Franklin CREATE!
Clayton Hale
Department of Plant Biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Host Department: Public Service and Outreach / State Botanical Garden of Georgia
Daniela McLean
Department of Educational Leadership, Mary Frances Early College of Education
Host Department: UGA Press – IP and Digitization
Quentin Murphy
Department of Philosophy, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Host Department: University of Georgia Press, Editorial Department
Moses Okocha
Department of Journalism, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Host Department: Office of Research Communications
Atharva Yogesh Nilkanth
Department of Computer Science, School of Computing
Host Department: Global Student Engagement
Shirin Rezaeimalek
Environmental Design and Planning, College of Environment and Design
Host Department: J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, Public Service and Outreach
Nicole Rowley
Department of Anthropology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Host Department: Office of Global Engagement
Lora Smothers
Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education, Mary Frances Early College of Education
Host Department: Center for Global and Cultural Student Engagement
Lin Sun
Department of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics, College of Family and Consumer Sciences
Host Department: Cultural Student Engagement
Zeliang Sun
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health
Host Department: Global Student Engegement
Uyiosa Ugiagbe
Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education, Mary Frances Early College of Education
Host Department: Center for Teaching and Learning
Kirstin Wilson
Department of Educational Psychology, Mary Frances Early College of Education
Host Department: Georgia Museum of Art – Learning and Engagement
Jie Zhang
Department of Language and Literacy Education, Mary Frances Early College of Education
Host Department: Georgia Museum of Art – Academic & Campus Engagement
Sihao Zhou
Department of Advertising & Public Relations, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Host Department: Office of Faculty Affairs
