AI Development Intern

Are you interested in an internship that provides a unique perspective to the education field? Join National Heritage Academies (NHA) this summer as a AI Development Intern!

This is a paid in-person internship in our Grand Rapids Service Center office. The duration of the internship is mid-May through early August. Internships are for those enrolled in a college/university program or a recent graduate. For candidates that don’t meet this criteria, please explore our other open positions here .

About Us:

NHA is a charter school management company that operates over 100 schools in 9 states. We are committed to our mission of transforming lives by working together to help students build the knowledge, character, and skills they need to succeed. Our goal is for each student to grow as part of a caring community that encourages them to thrive in college, their careers, and in life.

In this role, you will work at our Service Center located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is where all the behind-the-scenes magic happens. Our awesome team members are brag-worthy and work with a diverse group of departments to provide top-level support to our schools. We would like to add you to our NHAmazing team! Sound good to you? Keep reading!

In This Role:

The purpose of the AI Development internship is to gain hands-on experience exploring and implementing AI technologies in an educational context. You'll work on the full lifecycle of applied AI projects: exploration, prototyping, evaluation, and documentation. Since AI is a rapidly evolving field, you'll develop the critical skill of learning how to navigate emerging technologies rather than just applying established procedures.

This position reports to the head AI Engineer/Director of Innovation. You'll be working in a research and development environment where experimentation and learning from what doesn't work is just as valuable as what does. Your supervisor has experience in education and teaching, bringing a hands-on discovery learning approach to mentorship. This internship is ideal for someone curious about how AI can be applied to real-world problems in education and willing to figure things out alongside an experienced team.

• Explore and evaluate AI tools, APIs, and technologies for educational applications
• Design and build prototype AI-powered tools and applications using Python, C#, and API integrations
• Develop systematic evaluation frameworks to assess AI system performance and reliability
• Conduct prompt engineering experiments and document what approaches work best for different use cases
• Prepare datasets and conduct data processing for AI systems
• Create clear documentation of research findings, both successes and failures
• Collaborate on user testing and gather feedback from stakeholders
• Research AI capabilities, limitations, and ethical considerations in educational settings
• Present findings and prototypes to technical and non-technical audiences
Gain exposure to the full research and development process in an emerging technology field

Qualifications:

• Pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Science, Cognitive Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Education Technology, or related technical field
• Programming experience (Python & C# preferred; other languages acceptable with willingness to learn)
• Strong problem-solving skills and comfort with ambiguity
• Curiosity about AI and interest in exploring how it works, not just using it
• Ability to think critically about technology and ask "should this exist?" not just "can this exist?"
• Excellent communication skills with ability to explain technical concepts clearly
• Self-directed learning ability and comfort with trying new approaches
Bonus: Experience with any of the following: API integration, machine learning concepts, natural language processing, user interface design, education technology, or research methodology

What We Offer You:

• 40 hours/week
• Onsite Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm
• $20/hour
• Scheduled events and meetings with company leaders
• Formal program to help you grow professionally
• Opportunity to share in a formal presentation of your internship work