For Students
Career Fellowship
The Berkeley Food Institute Career Fellowship places UC Berkeley students with Bay Area food systems organizations for 80 hours of hands-on project work, paired with peer coaching and a $1,600 stipend. The program runs from October 2026 through April 2027. Up to ten students – undergraduates and graduate students – can participate. Applications are due on September 25, 2026.
Who can apply?
ALL (undergraduate and graduate) matriculated UC Berkeley students who have an expressed interest or field of study in food and farm systems are encouraged to apply. The application is competitive. We encourage you to craft your application materials accordingly. We hope to onboard 10 participating students to join this cohort.
Have questions about your application? Join the webinar Q/A session on September 9 from 5-6pm PT. (Register via Zoom)
Why apply to the career fellowship?
Get Paid for Work Experience: Receive a $1,600 educational fellowship disbursed through UC Berkeley CalCentral for food systems career experience with experts in the field.
Direct Impact and Network Development: Work on tangible, critical food systems projects with experts at leading organizations.
Dedicated 1:1 Peer Coaching: Benefit from 1:1 peer coaching sessions, including training on coaching methods and professional planning. Peer coaching is a structured partnership in which a trained student coach uses listening and open-ended questions to help their peers clarify their goals and navigate challenges, without advising or evaluating.
FAQ
- Applications Open: September 1, 2026
- Optional Informational Webinar: September 9, 2026 from 5-6 pm (Register via Zoom)
- Application Deadline: September 25, 2026
- Awards and Matching Peers & Fellowship Placements: October 1, 2026
- Onboarding: October 7, 2026, 5-7 pm (in-person and Zoom)
- Start Projects: October/November 2026
- Finish Projects & Final Presentations: End of April 2027 (present on your final capstone and peer coaching learnings)
Want to learn more about this mentorship project?
Join us for a webinar this September 9, 2026, from 5-6 pm PT to talk about the Career Fellowship Program, the application process, project expectations and scope, and opportunities to work with expert leaders in food and farming systems. Come with your questions! Registration required.
- Participation:
- 80 hours over 8 months (~4-5 hours/week) on a project with a partner organization working toward a more just, sustainable food system
- 1 hour per month of peer coaching (four 1:1 sessions total with a matched peer)
- A final presentation at the end of the year on your project work and peer coaching experience, shared at the Career Fellow cohort’s closing event (end of April 2027)
- Administration
- Learning Agreement: Sign with your partner organization before starting work.
- MOU: Sign the program MOU to receive your fellowship stipend.
- Onboarding: Attend the session on October 7th, 5-7pm. Onboarding, workshops, and peer coaching sessions are all separate from your 80 hours of partner-organization work — attendance is highly encouraged.
Peer coaching pairs you with another student for four 1:1 sessions during the academic year, held at BFI’s office or on Zoom. You’ll alternate between coach and coachee — using active listening rather than advice-giving — to help each other clarify goals and work through challenges. As the coachee, you set the agenda; your coach’s role is to listen and ask questions, not direct you.
Career Fellows are matched with a Bay Area food systems organization to work on a core project, gaining hands-on experience and building professional networks along the way. Each partner organization hosts 2 students for 80 hours of fellowship work.
Projects span the food system, including communications, client support and healthy food access, farmers markets and distribution, and agroecology and farming certifications.
Browse project descriptions from partner organizations: CA Association of Food Banks, California Association of Family Farmers, Food as Medicine Collective, Ecology Center, and Center for Good Food Purchasing.
Contact BFI’s Education Programs Director Jezra Thompson at jezrathompson@berkeley.edu with any questions.
This program is developed in collaboration with Dr. Carly Hyland, (Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension in Environmental Health Sciences and UC ANR) and Megan Olivera (Manager of Community Partnerships, RISE: Berkeley Public Health Careers & Leadership Office).
