9 Engineering Internships for High School Students in Los Angeles, California
Internships are a great way for high school students to explore career interests, develop new skills, and dip their toes into professional work. Internships also aid in building resumes, with added strengths in applications for college by showing initiative, commitment, and desire to learn outside classrooms.
Engineering internships allow students to work on practical projects, collaborate with professionals, and gain exposure to industry tools and technologies. They help develop critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and technical expertise — skills that are essential for both academic and professional success. Additionally, these experiences offer mentorship and networking opportunities that can guide students toward future career paths and higher education.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 Engineering Internships for High School Students in Los Angeles, California, to help you get started!
1. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost:
$2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program
$5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase
$6,900 for both.
Need-based financial aid is available for AI Scholars. You can apply here.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students who are looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars program. Through this 10-session boot camp, students are introduced to the fundamentals of AI & data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects.
Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, students get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that students have access to the in-house publication team to help them secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here.
Cost: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company. Here is the application form.
The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
3. UCLA Environmental Engineering Summer Institute
Cost: $2,759 (based on previous years); financial aid is available)
Location: UCLA campus, Los Angeles, CA
Application Deadline: June 13, 2025
Program Dates: June 23 - July 3, 2025
Eligibility: 10th and 11th graders who are age 15 by the start of the program
The two-week intensive, immersive summer institute offered at UCLA's Environmental Engineering addresses real-world environmental challenges that directly affect public health and environmental justice. You will have an opportunity to engage in research-based practice to understand how issues of social justice collide with those of environmental quality.
There are two different research tracks that students can choose from. The Lead in Soils Track will research heavy metal contamination in soil samples collected from community gardens, while the Environmental Antimicrobial Resistance Track will research drug-resistant bacteria in coastal water samples. Both tracks have a strong emphasis on collaboration with community partners, thus providing you with hands-on experience while working on impactful, real-world projects.
This community-based research allows students to enhance their technical and analytical skills while deepening their understanding of the issues involved in environmental justice. The program trains participants in the use of engineering and scientific principles to advocate for marginalized communities and effect real change in society.
Cost: Free; Includes transportation, meals, and potential stipend
Location: East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, or Redwood City, CA
Application Deadline: February 14, 2025
Program Dates: Typically starts the third Monday of June and lasts 6 weeks
Eligibility: High school sophomores residing in East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, or Redwood City with a minimum CGPA of 2.0
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has introduced Meta Summer Academy, a hyper-competitive summer program in high school. This opportunity is six weeks long and runs from June to July in California.
As a participant, you will be involved in the work process of Meta, getting insight into its operations and contributing to current projects. The program requires students to commit to 30 hours a week, hence giving them a realistic feel of what the tech industry requires.
That student mentorship, involving existing Meta employees, walks these high-schoolers through the program as well as exposes them to various career paths. The opportunity is provided across all high schools in California; Meta ensures it will be accessible by providing transportation for all interns.
5. Air Force Research Laboratory Program
Stipend: $492.40/week for high school students
Location: Edwards Air Force Base, CA
Application Deadline: January 10, 2025
Program Dates: Various dates throughout the year
Eligibility: U.S. citizen high school students older than 16 with a GPA of at least 3.0
AFRL offers a very good paid internship program for high school students with a passion for aerospace and engineering. You will work alongside AFRL scientists and engineers working on advanced research projects concerning, but not limited to, aerospace engineering, mechanical design, and electromagnetic structures.
The interns work on state-of-the-art projects, such as developing advanced cold atom sources for navigation systems and creating personalized chatbots with natural communication features. During this period, you will be guided by professionals on how to grow both professionally and personally. This program is specially designed for an immersive research experience to potentially inspire the next generation of innovators in STEM fields.
6. The Intern Project Summer Program
Stipend: Students will receive a stipend and college credit upon successful completion of the program.
Location: Los Angeles area
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in March.
Program Dates: June - August (~8 weeks)
Eligibility: Open to LA County high school students who have completed their sophomore, junior, or senior years
TIP is a summer experience providing high school students from across Los Angeles County with the opportunity to explore the great diverse professional fields. The placements involved in this program include Engineering & Tech, Healthcare & Medical Technology, Arts, Media & Entertainment, Business, Government, Non-Profit, Philanthropy, and Sports. You will be placed with leading organizations, including prominent aerospace companies and America on Tech, through TIP's deep network of industry partners.
Apart from the actual internship job placements, TIP also offers a range of professional development workshops to provide you with relevant career skills. These include sessions on Time Management, LinkedIn Networking, Financial Literacy, Professional Communication, Self-Care, and Interview Techniques. At the end of the program, you are expected to demonstrate evidence of learning and value addition created during the placement in terms of presentations, detailed reports, or reflective summaries, as requested by the hosting organization.
Stipend: Interns may receive a stipend dependent on internship, academic level, and session length.
Location: Various NASA centers in the country. There are also options for remote participation, depending on the project.
Application Deadline:
Summer 2025: February 28, 2025
Fall 2025: May 16, 2025
Program Dates:
Summer Session: 10 weeks, typically from late May or early June to August
Fall Session: 16 weeks, typically from late August or early September to mid-December
Eligibility: Open to high school students with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. They must be 16 and U.S. citizens.
The highly competitive internships at OSTEM are offered in centers around the country. As a participant, you can work in a great variety of disciplines, from space science, aeronautics, engineering, technology, space microbiology, to outreach and communications.
Participants work on current projects in 3D modeling, robotics, civil engineering, and aerospace engineering, among other areas, under the guidance of NASA professionals. These internships are designed to offer hands-on experience, fostering growth by training, guiding, and developing careers. You will also be involved in designing experiments, mission data analysis, or building new technologies that might give them first-hand experience about work at NASA. Through this, you get to network with some of the best from around the globe in the arenas of science, engineering, information technology, and business. A complete list of internships is available online, and it has filters that enable the applicant to find positions for high school students.
8. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) - Department of Navy
Stipend: New interns receive a stipend of $4,000, while returning interns receive $,4500
Location: Numerous labs across the country, with multiple near the LA area.
Application Deadline: Applications open in August and close in November.
Program Dates: June - August (~8 weeks)
Eligibility: High school students at least 16 years old with U.S. citizenship
The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) is a distinguished research-based initiative designed to immerse high school students in Department of Navy laboratories across the United States. With around 300 placements available in over 38 labs nationwide, the program is highly competitive. In the program, you will collaborate with esteemed Navy scientists and engineers on real-world Naval research projects, gaining hands-on experience and personalized mentorship in cutting-edge STEM fields, including engineering.
Participants have the flexibility to select their laboratory placements based on their specific areas of interest. Engineering is a particularly sought-after focus, with a variety of labs located across the country offering opportunities in this field. Past research topics have included developing Ansys Fluent workflows for axial fan simulations and studying the effects of flow around objects, as well as analyzing CSS Georgia bones and testing different consolidants.
9. UCR Stride Engineering Program
Stipend: $2,500
Location: University of California, Riverside, CA
Application Deadline: January 20, 2025
Program Dates: June 23 - July 29, 2025
Eligibility: Open to high school students from Riverside and San Bernardino counties
The UC Riverside STRIDE program is a 5-week summer research program that places you alongside UCR faculty mentors and a diverse group of undergraduate, graduate, and medical student mentors. You will explore fields such as stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, bioengineering, materials science, tissue engineering, neuroscience, toxicology, and aging diseases. STRIDE works closely in collaboration with the Stem Cell Center, the CIRM BRIDGE program at Cal State San Bernardino, and UCR's TRANSC.
With a strong focus on engineering applications in biomedical research, STRIDE offers opportunities to work on projects that integrate bioengineering, materials science, and tissue engineering. Whether you’re analyzing biomaterials for regenerative medicine, exploring nanotechnology applications, or using engineering principles to design tissue scaffolds, you’ll gain valuable experience in applying engineering concepts to real-world medical challenges.
In addition to lab-based learning, comprehensive training is provided by STRIDE through workshops, career panels, discussions, and mentoring sessions on scientific and communication skills.
Image Source - NASA Logo