Students

Your Campus. Your Impact.
Your Next Big Move.

Ready to be the reason your campus eats better? The DefaultVeg Internship Program works with students to equip them with everything they need to reshape their university’s food systems— hands-on training in behavioral science, a step-by-step implementation toolkit, mentorship from experts and people who’ve done this before, and a community of students making this happen at campuses worldwide.  

As a DefaultVeg Intern, you’ll work directly with university decision-makers, dining teams, student organizations, and campus vendors to champion plant-based defaults and smart nudges rooted in behavioral science. These proven techniques make sustainable eating the easy choice. (no arm-twisting required.)

That’s the beauty of the plant-based approach: by applying insights from how people actually make decisions, it puts the better choice front and center while keeping every option on the table. Whether it’s a dining hall or an on-campus event, people respond to smarter defaults and love the freedom to choose for themselves.

The proof? DefaultVeg Interns have already driven measurable change in campus food systems worldwide.

Why Plant-Based?

Advocating for plant-forward food on your campus isn’t just good for public health — it’s a smart climate solution for everyone. A few top benefits include:

• Cut Scope 3 carbon emissions to meet campus sustainability goals
• Lowers food costs for dining services and event budgets
• Promote healthy, delicious food that everyone can enjoy
• Makes dining halls more accessible to all diners by eliminating 4 out of 9 top food allergens (dairy/milk, eggs, fish, and shellfish)
• Protects our environment, our health, animals, and secures the future of our planet (win-win-win!)

What to Expect

This isn’t a watch-from-the-sidelines internship. You’ll run a hands-on project advocating for plant-based defaults and behavioral nudges on your campus, with a dedicated support system behind you the entire way—no prior experience needed.

• Leadership Experience: Build skills in project management, research, communications, and critical thinking — all while driving tangible change on campus.

• Expert Training & Mentorship: Learn from sustainability and food systems professionals through workshops, lectures, and one-on-one guidance.
• A Schedule That Works for You: Your project is flexible to your busy schedule. Built as an internship, capstone, or service project.
• $1,000 Program Grant ($500/semester): Students are eligible to receive upon project completion. (Currently only available to U.S.-based students. Please inquire if you have questions about eligibility)

You’ll also get access to online training, webinars, research resources, and a global student community through our Circle platform, so you’re never doing this alone.

When you push your campus toward climate-smart, plant-forward menus, you’re not just updating a lunch line — you’re helping spark a larger cultural shift toward food systems that are sustainable, inclusive, and built to last, both on campus and beyond.

“The DefaultVeg internship has helped me better understand that I have unique power as a student to ask for positive change on my campus. BFF’s guidance turned my outreach from something scary to something approachable with clear, strategic steps.”

-Balsamine, Hunter College

The Internship Journey: 6 Steps to Real Change

1. EQUIP 🧠 Foundational Training
   Before you walk into any meeting or send any email, you’ll understand why people make the choices they do — and how to shift them. You’ll dive into behavioral science principles and evidence-based strategies for institutional change, so every move you make is backed by real research and steps to problem-solving. Think of it as unlocking a cheat code for creating lasting impact. 
2. STRATEGIZE👩‍💻 Research & Strategic Planning
   No two campuses are the same, and cookie-cutter campaigns don’t cut it. You’ll analyze your campus food system from the inside out — identifying the key decision-makers, uncovering strategic opportunities, and hearing directly from diners through a satisfaction survey. Then you’ll turn all of that insight into a customized action plan built for your campus, targeting four key project areas:
   1. Project Area 1: Campus Event Catering: Campus events, conferences, or summits
   2. Project Area 2: Student Clubs & Group Catering: Student-led clubs and group-organized catering meetings
   3. Project Area 3: Coffee Shops & Cafés: Coffee shops and campus eateries
   4. Project Area 4: Dining Halls & Cafeterias: The big leagues: campus cafeterias and main dining facilities. 
3. CONNECT 🔗 Outreach &  Relationship Building
   Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum — it happens through people. You’ll connect with campus leaders, make your case, and work with them (not against them) to bring your action plan to life. 
4. AMPLIFY 📣 Momentum Building & Negotiations
   Now it’s time to make some noise. You’ll amplify your work through campus media, events, and existing campus networks — building momentum, growing your coalition, and turning one-off wins into systemic shifts. This is where your voice becomes a movement. But momentum alone doesn’t seal the deal. You’ll also develop real negotiation skills, learning how to present your data persuasively, navigate pushback, find common ground with decision-makers, and move stakeholders from “interested” to “on board.” This is where strategy meets execution. 
5. DEAL-CLOSING 🤝 Seal the Deal & Execution
   This is what it all comes down to. Armed with behavioral science and months of relationship-building, you’ll work directly with your project area contacts to support them in adopting and implementing nudges and defaults, whether that’s a plant-forward default meal at catering events, repositioned menu items at the campus café, or a new dining hall setup that puts delicious plant-based food front and center. Small shifts in design, placement, and framing add up to big, lasting change. 
6. SHOWCASE 🏆 Assessment & Reporting
   You did the work. Now own it. You’ll craft a presentation that tells the full story of your project: the data, the wins, the lessons, and the skills you’ve built along the way. Walk away with a portfolio-worthy project that proves you don’t just care about change. You know how to make it happen.

Students Leading the Way

Our interns aren’t waiting for change. They’re making it. 

• DefaultVeg Intern Eve Douglas increased the number of delicious plant-based options in the dining hall at St. Mary’s College of Maryland by 20%.
• Hope Dragseth piloted a 100% plant-based menu at Scripps College’s Sustainability Summit, where she also led a discussion on how dining halls could expand their plant-based offerings. 
• Marielle Williamson from Duke Kunshan University and Cloe Sousa from the University of British Columbia both secured a default oat milk pilot at their universities. 
• These examples are just a few of the many successful plant-forward policy changes our interns have implemented!