Student Success Division: Office of National & International Fellowships & Scholarships
NIFS Student Assistant 10-20 hours/week; $19/hour. Looking for a student assistant for fall, winter and
spring quarters for the 2024-2025 academic year (30 weeks). The summer is a possibility as well.
Want to work with an entrepreneurial, fast-paced team in an energetic environment, finding national and
international fellowships and scholarships, designing a website and social media campaign, collecting and
analyzing data, writing and editing, and engaging in event planning across campus? The Office of National &
International Fellowships & Scholarships (NIFS) under the Student Success division in Academic Affairs has an
opening for one student assistant. We are a vibrant, start-up styled team in higher education looking to enhance
student success at Cal Poly by identifying, preparing and successfully securing national and international
fellowships and scholarships for our talented Cal Poly students and alumni.
Administrative support includes:
• Timely responses to emails and other communications from NIFS team to students, faculty, staff,
alumni and external partners
• Inventory benchmarked and emergent opportunities: Identify new competitive scholarship and
fellowship opportunities while benchmarking existing opportunities; Monitor policies and expectations
governing scholarship/fellowship programs
• Design website for an outreach campaign across the university: Develop a dynamic and interactive
website that contains relevant information for faculty, staff, and students, and that promotes relevant
fellowship and scholarship opportunities
• Launch a coordinated social media campaign that contributes to outreach and applications
• Event Planning: Assist in all aspects of organizing fellowship program events, including open houses,
information sessions, and other events such as specific application-based workshops, retreats, fellowship
receptions involving current students and alumni, and previous award-winners
• Track scholarship and fellowship program data and assess impact & outcomes: Support data
collection tracking opportunities related to NIFS opportunities
Required skills:
• Voracious learner who loves to take on new challenges
• Culturally humble
• Expertise with Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, SharePoint, and OneDrive
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Knowledge of web design and UX experiences
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn how to build, design, edit and maintain Drupal-based website
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn how to create surveys/manage reports through Microsoft Forms
• Skill in social media campaign postings (Facebook, Instagram, X, and possibly TikTok)
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to work independently or as part of a team
• Reliability and dependability
• Ability to manage time and meet deadlines
• Strong organizational skills
• Professional demeanor, sense of humor and ability to interact with campus partners at all levels
Preferred skills:
Ideal Candidates Demonstrate:
• Hunger to contribute to a meaningful, entrepreneurial, high-energy team on a mission!
• Familiarity with majors offered by the various Colleges at Cal Poly.
• Familiarity with any national and international fellowships and scholarships previously.
• A passion for education and opportunity access and a desire to increase higher education opportunity for
all in the United States.
• A commitment to equity in higher education.
• Strong writing ability, and great communication skills.
• Pro-active, can-do attitude towards work and are fearless in their learning which includes asking curious questions and seeking out information
• An appreciation for execution and hard work
• Creativity in modeling innovative ideas and problem solving
• Flexibility, and a desire to iterate, incorporate feedback, and troubleshoot
• Demonstrate reliability and dependability in working under deadlines
• Love working in a fast-paced, exciting environment
• Highly skilled in social media community building and storytelling with data a plus!
Position opens fall quarter or earlier, if available. Priority application deadline by October 4. Student assistant
applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
To apply, please submit:
1. Your resume
2. Name and email & phone contact information of 1 reference that we can contact about your candidacy.
(References can include a professor, work supervisor, advisor, club advisor, community leader familiar with
your extracurricular activities)
3. Professional writing sample. It can be an existing paper from a previous class that you’ve already written
4. Include existing links to social media accounts/posts you have maintained (most interested in Instagram,
X, TikTok) and if you have previous website design experience, please provide links to sites you have
designed and maintained
5. Please indicate your availability for fall, winter, & spring.
Apply either through Symplicity or by emailing your materials to Susan Cheng at scheng45@calpoly.edu Apply by October 4, 2024 by 5 pm for priority consideration.
