Sample Cover Letter for Internship in Government

January 15, 20XX

Ms. Kim Watson
Highland Academy
245 Carlton Drive
Hartford, CT 06103

Dear Ms. Watson,

I am a recent graduate from New York University and a Hartford resident who is passionate about helping the Hartford community assist its young people in developing the academic skills required for them to be accepted into a respected college or university. Mr. John Hanson, former Assistant Director Post Secondary Education for the Hartford Public Schools, informed me of the recent opening at the Highland Academy. I would like to use my relevant skills and experiences to help Hartford students not only get into an independent school, but also to excel academically.

The Highland Academy English tutor helps students sharpen academic skills that are necessary and required to succeed in an independent school. It excites me that your organization is working towards educational parity and college access for underrepresented youths. I desire to work in the field of college access and helping underrepresented groups acquire educational credentials that will help them to achieve personal and professional success in the future.

I am currently working for College for Education (CFE), a national non-profit organization devoted to increasing college access for underprivileged youth. Through this organization I have learned techniques to help students create an excellent college essay and help them to use various college selection tools to select a college that best fits their needs. I also presented research on the psychological effects of inner-city students going to college at CFE national conferences. The conference presentations validated the research being done in the field. I learned that students in underserved areas drop-out as a result of low expectancy in skills acquisition which is something I am concerned about and would personally like to be in a position where I could assist in making a change. The conferences led to schools requesting that I speak to students on how to increase their academic performance.

At New York University, I served as a teaching assistant for a course on the Political thought of James Herrilson. The job required that I edit and review the professor’s lectures. This experience provided me with an opportunity to learn how to prepare, edit, and deliver academic material effectively to students.

While at New York University I received the prestigious Harris-Davidson Fellowship. My fellowship was to study urban poverty in Hartford. I interpreted census and educational achievement data, along with including historiographical information and reporting findings in an extensive essay. The essay focused on the economic, political, and social causes of Hartford’s rising poverty rate and the consequences they pose for the future of the city and the local community. The most important factors for the rise in poverty was the city’s increased dropout rate in the early 90’s and mid 2000’s. I learned how to research, interpret, and report results using various sources, skills that I developed and was able to teach to others.

I look forward to speaking with you about how my qualifications can offer your organization a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the issues many of your students face on a daily basis. Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,

Gregg Titus

5 Steps to Improve a Cover Letter:

1. Addressing your cover letter to the right person.
2. Capturing the reader's attention.
3. Making your cover letter stand out.
4. Make sure your coverr letter is error free.
5. Asking for an interview.