40 Hours for the Forty Acres April 2022

Who We Are

Home to Texas™ is a summer internship and workforce development program that facilitates University of Texas undergraduates with well-paid internships and research experiences designed to help them understand the underlying values of their home communities. The IC² Institute has partnered with UT Austin School of Undergraduate Studies and Texas Career Engagement for the program, matching first-year undergraduate students from all majors with employers in their hometowns who are seeking students with fresh and informed perspectives.

What We're Fundraising For

A large number of students at UT Austin want professional experiences in their hometowns—and students from rural and remote regions say that finding those experiences is more challenging for them than for students from urban corridors. Communities are enthusiastic.  Interns called the support and welcome from their hometowns “overwhelming.”  Communities want the placements to continue year after year. Home to Texas internships changed the way students thought of their communities; students acknowledged opportunities as well as the need for their insight and skills. And there is statewide interest. All regions of the state—north, south, east, west, and central—are interested in staying connected with their students. We plan to expand the program to provide additional impact, with an increase in student and community participation. The costs of operating the program include a per-student cost of $6,250 plus the cost of UT Austin personnel for management and teaching and we need your help to meet the financial needs of the program.

Your Impact

The Home to Texas program validates that change starts at home. With the participation of over 94 UT Austin students in 17 Texas communities, our most profound learnings are we want to grow world changers, we need to develop future leaders who are community conscious. This program does more than provide a chance to work in the town a student grew up in, it provides the opportunity to understand a community through a human-centered research approach and to form resilient relationships with community members. Leadership in Texas communities has never been more important as our state transitions both demographically and economically. Leaders are critical, setting strategies to ensure communities grow and thrive during change. As Texas grows more diverse and youthful, a leadership transition is imminent. 

Home to Texas student Wendy Montano completed the program in 2019.  She felt that “after spending a summer interning in McAllen through the Home to Texas program, I was able to see my hometown in a new light. I knew I would find fulfillment in sharing my talents, skills, and abilities with the community who helped mold me” Wendy, upon graduating from the University at Austin, has decided to return to McAllen, TX to begin her career.   

“We want the students to get this message: We want you to go away to school and learn, but we want you to come back some day. We need you. We value the contributions you can make. The UT alumni community in Brownsville stands ready to help and mentor you back in the community.” - Letty Fernandez, President, Texas Exes Brownsville Chapter

 H2TX co-founder, Dr Brent Iverson, Dean College of Undergraduate Studies says, "The Home to Texas program was created with two complementary goals in mind. First, we wanted to provide substantial and diverse leadership development opportunities for UT students. Second, we wanted to foster within them a deeper appreciation for the values and potential future of their home communities. In talking with employers, it is clear that a third goal was also achieved. Local employers and community leaders now have a much deeper appreciation for the tremendous resource these UT students represent, and how important it will be to recruit them home after graduation." –Dean Brent Iverson, College of Undergraduate Studies

 “I am impressed by this program and the level of involvement of the university to work hard to make sure they were engaged in a way that made sense in our community.” -April Daniels, Executive Director at Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce