VALOR JROTC - Summer 2025

VALOR (Veteran Applied Laboratory Occupational Retraining) JROTC Program
Fermilab is America’s premier laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.  We support discovery science experiments in Illinois and South Dakota and at locations around the world, including Canada, mountaintops in Arizona and Chile, and the South Pole.

The VALOR JROTC Program is a highly competitive, paid, six-week summer internship opportunity for Illinois JROTC high school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates. Interns provide routine technical support for area of assignment; typically, an experiment or support group. Tasks are accomplished under direction supervision of a Fermilab employee and in cooperation with project teams, scientists, engineers, and support personnel and in accordance with established policies and procedures.

Eligibility:

•  Enrollment in an Illinois high school JROTC program
•  Illinois high school junior, senior, or recent high school graduate at time of application
•  Eligible to work in the United States

Application Requirements: 

• Online application - Application Walkthrough Video Guide
• Unofficial transcript
• Resume
• One letter of recommendation (Due date is application close date).
  (Once you submit your application you will receive an email request to provide reference contact information. Once you provide the info we will email a link to your reference to upload the letter of recommendation)

• Essay (upload as a pdf format under the resume section)

Essay Guideline: Short answer questions*: Please write short (< 200-word) responses to the following questions:

•   What do you hope to get out of this internship experience?
•   How has participating in JROTC prepared you for this unique opportunity?
•  What key skills do you possess that can add value to a team?

Before you apply, please have all your requirements ready. Once you submit the application you will no longer have access and will not be able to upload any missing requirements.

Internship Details: 

• Application Period: December 5, 2024 – May 12, 2025
• Offer Date: May 15, 2025
• Acceptance Date: May 20, 2025
• Program Dates: June 16, 2025 – July 25, 2025
•  Salary: $17.75 per hour (5 days/40 hour per week)
•  Housing: No local/onsite housing available

Internship Deliverables:

•  Oral presentation
•  Exit survey

If you have any application questions or issues, please email us at Internships@fnal.gov 

Why Fermilab: 
Fermilab is America’s premier laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. We support discovery science experiments in Illinois and locations around the world, including deep underground mines in South Dakota and Canada, mountaintops in Arizona and Chile, CERN in Europe and the South Pole.

Drug-Free Workplace & Pre-Employment Screening  

Fermilab is dedicated to fostering a safe, productive, and drug-free work environment. As part of the hiring process, candidates must successfully complete a background check and drug screening for candidates 18 and over. Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of these screenings.

Equal Opportunity Statement   

Fermilab is an equal opportunity employer.  We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.

REAL-ID Requirement for access to Fermilab Campus
Fermilab requires all members of the public to produce a REAL-ID, or equivalent, to access the Fermilab Campus for interviews or career events. A list of acceptable forms of ID can be found here: https://get-connected.fnal.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/REALID-Documents.pdf. If a candidate is selected for an interview but does not possess any of the equivalent documents, we may schedule a virtual interview. 

What To Expect Next:
We’ll be in touch! If your qualifications are in alignm