Undergraduate Community-Based Internships (UCBI)
The purpose of the Undergraduate Community-Based Internships (UCBI) is to create partnerships between undergraduate students and nonprofit and public sector organizations that are engaged in community-led work. UCBI aims to partner strategically with organizations that are reflecting on power, privilege and oppression in the communities they serve and within their own organizations. This program invites collaboration and minimizes financial barriers by providing local community organizations the opportunity to hire undergraduate student interns for a portion of the total cost of the program and offers financial support to students interested in exploring a career in public service. Undergraduate Community-Based Interns will serve with their host organizations in winter and spring quarters, launching the first week of January and culminating at the end of May. Interns will commit approximately 10 hours per week during winter quarter and approximately 10 hours per week during spring quarter at their host organization and receive a stipend for their work. Through a partnership with the University of Washington’s Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center, Doorway covers the community partner network and all program costs associated with the UCBI students at their host site.
Doorway UCBI Interns
IRIS XU
2025 - 2026
Iris (she/her) is a third-year Neuroscience major at the University of Washington She is grateful to be a part of the Doorway Project team as the Undergraduate Community-Based Intern for 2026.
She is passionate about connecting the unhoused with supportive resources. As the Doorway Project’s undergraduate intern, she looks forward to working closely with a range of service providers to learn more about the resources being provided, the systems that limit their reach, and further opportunities to contribute to these causes. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her loved ones, doodling, hanging out with her rat terrier, and listening to all genres of music. She is always open to song recommendations!
ANAHI BARRAGAN
2024 - 2025
Anahi is a fourth year double degree student at the University of Washington studying Public Health - Global Health and Psychology. She was introduced to the Doorway Project through the community-based internship (UCBI) program available at UW. Anahi is interested in understanding how lived experiences shape one's identity and serve as factors towards having the ability to have a successful and meaningful life. She hopes to understand how the different factors that one interacts with in a daily environment influence a person's overall health both physically and mentally. She hopes to learn from the experiences of the U-District community to better understand how social influences impact livelihood.
Anahi is interested in understanding how race, political, social, and environment factors are intertwined and reflected upon a person. She hopes to make a positive impact on communities who are stigmatized. To do this, Anahi seeks to engage directly with marginalized communities, learning from their experiences to inform meaningful change. Through her work with the Doorway Project and her studies at UW, she hopes to contribute to initiatives that promote equity, well-being, and systemic change.
EMMA MANCANO
2023 - 2024
Emma is a third-year sociology major studying at the University of Washington. She is interning at The Doorway Project through UW’s community-based internship (UCBI) program.
Her academic interests lie in understanding the way interconnected identity factors including race, class, gender, sexuality, and physical ableness shape lived experiences. She hopes to use this sociological framework of intersectionality as a steppingstone in supporting disadvantaged individuals through their healing processes.
Samerawit Hailu
2021 - 2022
Samerawit is a sophomore at the University of Washington Seattle planning to major in Law Societies and Justice. I am a second year intern with Doorway and I help with collecting resources and conduct outreach. I try to bring diverse ideas, perspectives and questions to the program based on lived experiences in hopes to expose those around me to different viewpoints in order to grow. Outside of my school and internship, I love to hike, bake, binge watch any HBO shows and explore new food spots.