Marketing and Communications Intern

Breakthrough Silicon Valley; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 22,000 - 31,000; Part time

Job summary

Breakthrough Silicon Valley is seeking a Marketing and Communications Intern to help share the stories of students, Teaching Fellows, and community. You will build content for social media, newsletters, design materials, update the website, and capture multimedia at programs and events.

The role offers hands-on experience under BTSV staff guidance and develops storytelling, design, and project management skills.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a two- or four-year college.
• Experience with design programs (Adobe Creative Suite and/or Canva).
• Experience with photo and video editing.
• Experience with social media platforms (TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn).
• Excellent writing skills and grammar.
• Proficient with MS Office and Google Suite (Excel/Sheets).
• Able to plan, organize, and manage projects with attention to detail.
• Creative problem-solver with a can-do attitude; willing to help where needed.
• Strong communicator who asks for clarification when needed.
• Breakthrough Spirit: collaborative, excellent, open-minded, eager to learn and grow.
• Passion for Breakthrough Silicon Valley's mission.
• Major in marketing, communications, nonprofit management or related field.
• Experience with Salesforce, Mailchimp, SquareSpace, and/or Asana.
• Experience with SEO and website management.
• Event planning experience.
• Bilingual Spanish or Vietnamese.
• Experience at nonprofit youth development or educational organization focused on college access.

Responsibilities

• Write social media posts and newsletter content each week.
• Design marketing materials and update the website.
• Capture photos and videos at BTSV programs and events.
• Plan and organize content; support fundraising and outreach campaigns.
• Support communications and event logistics for volunteer and donor events (Resume Review and Mock Interview workshop).
• Develop a portfolio of work and grow storytelling, design, and project management skills.

Skills

Excellent writing

Social media marketing

Project management

Creative problem-solving

Communication

SEO

Event planning

Bilingual (Spanish or Vietnamese)

Content creation

Education

Currently enrolled in a two- or four-year college

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Canva

Salesforce

Mailchimp

SquareSpace

Asana

Excel/Sheets

Job description

Starting in middle school, Breakthrough Silicon Valley launches talented students who have lacked access to higher education on the path to college, and inspires high school and college students to become the next generation of leaders, advocates, and educators. While ambitious in our goals, BTSV works: a stunning 99% of BTSV graduates attend college immediately after high school, and 78% of BTSV Teaching Fellows are inspired to pursue a career related to education as a result of their BTSV experience.

BTSV's tuition-free program provides year-round out-of-school time academic support, counseling, and advocacy for talented students from underserved communities who will be the first generation in their family to go to college. Through our students-teaching-students model, BTSV also provides a consummate professional development experience providing talented high school and college students the opportunity to expand access to educational opportunities, design and teach classes under the direction of seasoned educators, and learn about the K-12 system.

Located in San Jose, California, Breakthrough Silicon Valley is an affiliate of The Breakthrough Collaborative, a leading national service organization that acts as the national voice for 25 Breakthrough sites across the country.

The Position

BTSV's internships prepare the next generation of leaders through hands-on experience at a nonprofit expanding pathways to college for first-generation students. As our Marketing and Communications Intern, you'll help share the stories of our students, Teaching Fellows, and community while building practical skills in content creation, digital marketing, and nonprofit communications. With coaching and guidance from BTSV staff, you'll gain experience turning ideas into engaging content that connects people to our mission.

Each week will bring opportunities to write social media posts and newsletter content, design marketing materials, update our website, and capture photos and videos at BTSV programs and events. You'll help plan and organize content, support fundraising and outreach campaigns, and explore how different messages and formats engage our audiences. You'll also support communications and event logistics for volunteer and donor events, including Resume Review and Mock Interview workshop. Throughout the internship, you'll bring a portfolio of work while developing your storytelling, design, and project management skills.

The Marketing and Communications Intern reports to BTSV's Development Events Manager.

What background and skills do you have?:

• You're currently enrolled in a two- or four-year college.
• Experience with design programs, such as Adobe Creative Suite and/or Canva.
• Experience with photo and video editing.
• Experience with social media platforms, especially TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
• You have excellent writing skills and are a stickler for grammar.
• Proficiency with MS Office and Google Suite, including Excel/Sheets.
• Ability to plan, organize, and implement projects with attention to detail.
• Creative problem-solver with a can-do attitude; willing to support where needed.
• Communicative and able to responsibly pose questions and ask for clarification whenever necessary.
• "Breakthrough Spirit": You're a collaborative team player who is committed to excellence and open-minded. You demonstrate a desire to continuously learn and grow, think creatively to solve problems, and work with a sense of humor and humility.
• Passion for Breakthrough Silicon Valley's mission and goals
• You're majoring in marketing, communications, nonprofit management, or another related field.
• You have experience with Salesforce, Mailchimp, SquareSpace, and/or Asana.
• You have experience with SEO and website management.
• You have experience with event planning.
• You're bilingual (Spanish or Vietnamese).
• You have experience at a nonprofit youth development or educational organization, particularly one focused on college access for aspiring first-generation college students.

We know that many strong candidates will not have all the skills we list. That's OK. What else do you bring to the table? Please tell us!

Location, Commitment, and Compensation

This is a hybrid position; you will work both in person at BTSV's main office at Herbert Hoover Middle School (1635 Park Ave, San Jose, CA 95126) at least two days per week, with the flexibility to work from a home office when in-person work is not required. Candidates must be local to the Bay Area during the internship in order to be considered, and must be available to work at the Resume Review and Mock Interview workshop the morning of Saturday, March 20, 2027.

This is a part-time (10-15 hours, scheduled over two or three days per week) position from January to May 2027, with the potential to extend into the summer.

This is an hourly, non-exempt position. The compensation for this position is $19 per hour.

BTSV engages with individuals of all backgrounds and as an Equal Opportunity Employer, BTSV is committed to providing employment opportunities to all individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.