Get to Know the Virtual Student Federal Service

VSFS is the largest digital internship in the world that connects U.S. college students to the work of the federal government.

Join Bridget Roddy and Nora Dempsey from the U.S. Department of State to learn how U.S. college students working remotely can be virtual interns for you and your teams through the Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS). VSFS is a free, shared service and projects can be submitted from May 1 to June 10 on vsfs.state.gov.

Need inspiration? Check out the 2017-18 cycle’s 540+ projects. VSFS eInterns work ten hours a week from September through May and project mentors interview and select from the applicant pool.

What You’ll Learn

In this online event, attendees will:

• Learn how to write and submit a successful project
• Share “how-tos” and “how-nots” of communicating remotely
• Understand the benefits of working with eInterns
• Find inspiration to post a project

More about Virtual Student Federal Service

Last year, 4,500+ students applied for a virtual internship position and 1,300 were selected. eInterns are U.S. citizens but do not have security clearances, background checks, or access to internal IT networks so all work is unclassified. Students can help with emerging technology, data visualization, app development, research, reporting, design, AI, usability testing, social media, and more.

Submitting a Project

If you are ready to submit a project and have an account, you can use your login again this year. If you don’t have an account, register with your .gov or .mil email, activate your account and submit a project (or two or three). We created a mentor handbook you can check out about writing a successful project request, how to submit your request, and guidance for supervising eInterns.

About the Presenters

Nora Dempsey and Bridget Roddy work at the U.S. Department of State in IRM’s Office of eDiplomacy. Passionate about making government better, they run the VSFS program and other creative, visual, and design initiatives including user feedback opportunities (UFO), webinars, and human-centered design.