Samaritan Scout joins forces with the NJ CAIGP to award three paid internships this summer

Written by Oshmi Ghosh

Our world is changing so quickly, due to economic ups and downs and unyielding technological advancements, and there is no denying that it has become more  difficult than ever for young people to navigate the elusive career search. Every college student in the modern age knows what it’s like to hunt down that one internship that makes them feel secure in their professional aspirations. Thankfully, New Jersey has stepped up to facilitate this and created the Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program (CAIGP) for students to explore career pathways productively — while getting paid!

The NJ CAIGP provides funding for state employers in order to welcome college students and recent graduates in the area for paid internship positions. Managed by Nicole Bailey, the program is overseen by the NJ Secretary of Higher Education Brian Bridges and in 2024 reached 133 organizations to open 574 paid summer internships. 

The CAIGP runs for approximately ten weeks each summer and offers frequent webinars for students to get more involved in the benefits of the program. Examples of webinars include “Lead with your Strengths” and “Accelerating your Career.” Each webinar provides insight to using your internship as a foundation for working professionally after college. The sessions also allow for students to build connections with industry professionals and the state officials involved in the program, incentivizing them to take initiative with networking outside of their existing internships.

This year, the NJ-based non-profit organization Samaritan Scout proudly joined the array of organizations collaborating with the CAIGP in order to invite more student interns. Rather than hosting just a couple interns per category, Scout boasts a strong network of employees for software development, inbound marketing, social media, and more. By applying to Scout and/or other associated companies, more students in the state can take up paid internships between academic years. 

“We are deeply grateful to the NJ Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program for making it possible to bring talented college students onto our team—something we simply could not have afforded otherwise as a volunteer-run nonprofit,” says Dvora Inwood, (Springfield resident) co-founder and head of Samaritan Scout. 

Currently, three Samaritan Scout interns, native to New Jersey, benefit from the grant program’s administration. Akash Dubey, a Berkeley Heights resident and rising sophomore at Rutgers studying computer science and math, works in full-stack development for Scout. Springfield’s Jack Greenwald, studying computer science at Northeastern University, is also part of the software development team. Both Akash and Jack began as volunteers, while attending the Scotch Plains-based Union County magnet school Academy for Information Technology (AIT), and the grant program has enabled them to seamlessly transition into paid internship positions and continue developing Scout’s search engine and overall user experience. 

Interns Andrea Garcia, Jack Greenwald and Akash Dubey pictured with fellow intern and article author Oshmi Ghosh

“The program does a great job of retaining local talent for local businesses,” says Dubey. “In doing so, it encourages people to stay in New Jersey and build connections with other students in New Jersey, which otherwise wouldn’t be there.”

“We don’t always feel super connected to our state. We might feel connected to our own town or county, but [the CAIGP] provides an interesting opportunity to be directly connected to someone in Trenton, which is not typical for programs like this,” Greenwald adds.

The grant program has not only substantiated the software development process but allowed for expansion into fleshed out marketing campaigns. Andrea Garcia, a graduate of Watchung Hills Regional High School (in Warren) from Green Brook, studies marketing at Rutgers Business and leads the inbound marketing, outreach, and social media projects for Scout. Her work has been crucial in spreading the word of Samaritan Scout.

“The program is a great opportunity for students to learn and companies like ours to be able to have more employees,” Garcia notes. “The program also made a point to tell us that we should be learning, and if we aren’t, we should inform them.”

The CAIGP values organizations such as Samaritan Scout who understand the wealth of knowledge student interns can offer. Through this program, interns like Akash, Jack, and Andrea are not only part of something special but are compensated for their unique talents and hard work. The CAIGP understands that individuals like them are not only students but future professionals.

“Through our journey launching the internet’s first search engine for volunteering, we’ve discovered that student interns are our most innovative problem-solvers—pushing the boundaries of software development and marketing with fresh ideas and curiosity,” says Inwood. 

Will Rosenthal, Cranford resident and co-founder of Samaritan Scout, a student volunteer who built the foundational AI-powered platform agrees: “Supporting paid internships isn’t just an investment in students; it’s a win for employers who want to foster creativity and impact, while also helping young people manage the rising costs of higher education.”

Interns Akash Dubey, Andrea Garcia, Jack Greenwald with co-founder Will Rosenthal

The NJ Career Accelerator Internship Grant Program continues to honor the talent and spirit of New Jersey, supplying students with invaluable experiences, skills, and growth opportunities. If you are a student in New Jersey seeking local internship opportunities with compensation, submit these interest forms by early 2026 to receive information on open internship opportunities funded by the CAIGP. If you are an employer, apply by January 2026 to be considered as one of those opportunities. Get a head start on internships for next year, and you’ll have a head start on the rest of your career! Best of luck!