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Special Programs

Due to the COVID19 pandemic, the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connections,  Mercy Works SYNERGY, and Presidential Scholars Summer Internship program are on hold until 2021.

Mercy Works SYNERGY Summer Internship Program at Upstate

Current undergraduate college students

The Mercy Works SYNERGY Summer Internship Program is a strategic partnership between Upstate Medical University and Mercy Works, Inc. As a professional development program, it targets goal-oriented minority students from the city of Syracuse who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate college program. The goal of the program is to provide students with skills that will not only advance their academic and professional careers, but contribute to the future of Central New York's workforce and community.

SYNERGY Program Eligibility:

  • Applicants must be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.80 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  • Have completed at least two semesters of college
  • Must be currently enrolled in an accredited 2-year or 4-year college/university
  • Graduated from a Syracuse, New York-area high school
  • Participants may NOT take courses during the summer program

Presidential Scholars Summer Internship Program

The Presidential Scholars Summer Internship Program is a 10-12 week summer program that provides recent baccalaureate graduates the opportunity to engage in meaningful and relevant experiences in preparation for employment and/or for advanced degree study related to occupations in the health care industry.  The goal is also to attract and retain talented under-represented professionals from the Syracuse Metropolitan Area (SNMA: Onondaga, Madison, Cayuga, & Oswego counties).

This program is a strategic initiative sponsored by the Office of the President, and coordinated by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion in collaboration with the urban community

Internship Overview:

  • The program will operate from June –August 2019. Internships are limited to 10-12 weeks. 
  • Selected interns will be assigned to departments across Upstate Medical University. Individual department leaders will serve as preceptor and will provide interns with meaningful work assignments, projects, and mentoring opportunities, based upon their department’s operational needs.
  • Interns are expected to be job ready and professional. Interns will work a regular weekly schedule not to exceed 29 hours per week, and will be paid a stipend of $15 per hour.

Internship Eligibility:

  • College seniors graduating SPRING 2019 or currently enrolled graduate students or graduate students graduating SPRING 2019.
  • Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
  • Students should be prepared to enter the workforce or pursue an advanced degree.

Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection - Syracuse

Juniors and seniors in the Syracuse City School District

Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection was established in 1987 to help students at risk of dropping out to stay in school and achieve academic success. It is our mission to increase the graduation rates of students within the city school districts of Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo, New York and Prince George's County, Maryland by providing long-term advocacy, academic resources, life skills development, and job training, resulting in self-sufficient, contributing adults for the community. On average, Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection students graduate high school at twice the rate of their peers and between 70 and 80 percent of these graduates attend college.


Project Search

The Project Search High School Transition Program is a one-year educational program for students with disabilities who are in their last year of high school. It is for students whose main goal is competitive employment. The program takes place in a health care or business setting in which total immersion in the workplace facilitates teaching and learning through feedback and application of new skills.

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