Sami Pye, a rising junior at American University, was planning to join the ranks of the lanyard-wearing cohort that pours into D.C. each summer, ready for the intern rites of passage: cramming into a group house, sipping through sticky rooftop happy hours, sweating through new office attire.

She had it all lined up: she would get housing at the university by working for on-campus residence, and she would intern at one of her dream organizations: NPR or National Geographic. The photography major had interviews lined up for both, but if neither panned out, Pye would continue interning at Studio Gallery in Dupont Circle.

Then, it all fell apart. American University closed for the semester and the summer, Studio Gallery shut its doors, and both NPR and National Geographic cancelled their coveted internship programs (Disclosure: AU holds the license for DCist’s parent company, WAMU). For Pye, it was a gut-punch.

“It felt really close and almost possible,” she said.

While hard numbers are difficult to come by, a 2009 Politico article estimated that 20,000 students intern in D.C. every summer. Thanks to coronavirus, thousands of would-be interns will lose their opportunities as major corporations, non-profits, museums, think tanks, and media companies alike shutter summer internship programs. Third Way, a national think tank; Discovery Inc., the media company; and consulting giant Booz Allen Hamilton are among those who have cancelled entirely.

Other programs have been delayed, including the Smithsonian Institution, which paused most of its summer internships at least through June 30. At the Washington Post, returning summer interns will have the option to work remotely while new summer interns who are rising juniors this year will have their spots deferred to next year, according to an email to interns obtained by DCist.

Still other programs will instead onboard their interns remotely, including defense juggernaut Lockheed Martin and mortgage funder Fannie Mae. On Capitol Hill, it’s not entirely clear what will happen to the usual crop of poli sci majors that staff the offices of senators and representatives: On Thursday, the congressional Committee on House Administration approved new regulations allowing summer interns to telework so lawmakers may continue their internship programs, but it’s up to individual members’ offices to decide how to proceed.

Others are still weighing their options. National nonprofit AARP plans to bring on an additional 40 interns this summer, on top of the roughly 60 already working there, but hasn’t pulled the trigger on going remote yet.

Justin Chow, intern program manager at AARP, said he’s been in contact with approximately 40 incoming interns as they monitor the situation, mindful that some students may be worrying about their housing situation. Part of the difficulty with preparing for the program amid the pandemic, according to Chow, is ensuring that all the interns have the resources to work remotely, including laptops and WiFi. Another challenge is figuring out what their regular check-ins with supervisors will look like.

Going remote also means losing some of the social bonding that can make an internship meaningful. As Chow pointed out, interns benefit from being able to have coffee with mentors and bonding with fellow interns. Like other D.C.-based employers, AARP builds social experiences into its internship program, such as Washington Nationals games. (That kind of event is so popular that the team even has an intern night.)

It also means interns might miss out on planned projects or hands-on experiences that have made headlines — like the annual running of the interns, when newsroom interns frantically run printed Supreme Court decisions back to on-air reporters.

Ben Ellsworth, a senior graduating from UC Berkeley, was sent home from his internship in a Senate office this spring semester after the university cancelled its semester-in-D.C. internship program. The school later cancelled its upcoming summer program, too.

Ellsworth had been hoping his internship on Capitol Hill would translate into a job. Now, he’s jobless and finds himself refreshing hiring sites in hopes congressional offices will post listings for summer interns or entry-level positions. So far, he’s been out of luck, a plight shared by other graduating students facing a daunting economic climate.

“[The internship] was fantastic,” Ellsworth said. “I loved being in the center of the action.” He also misses being a part of D.C.’s social life, especially as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

“I felt like D.C. has a thriving queer community,” he said. “I was really grateful to have those exposure outside of an insulated college campus. Getting that taste, I want to come back to D.C. as soon as it’s possible.”

Others have been making the best of the situation. Olan Trosky, a graduating senior at American University and a summer intern for Mothership Strategies, a Democratic digital advertising agency, is excited to see how digital fundraising will be impacted as candidates shift to online events.

“I am super bummed about not being in the office, but am excited to see how the Zoom workspace will be,” she said.

Others are fighting to save the summer internship.

Though they were often unpaid, internships gave Carlos Mark Vera and Guillermo Creamer Jr. a foot in the door to some of the most-sought workplaces in D.C., including the White House and Congress. The pair founded Pay Our Interns, a D.C.-based organization that successfully lobbied for a fund to pay congressional interns last year.

“One narrative that I’m sometimes seeing: people view internships as an extracurricular activity,” Vera said. “[F]or some students they’re relying on that paid internship to help pay bills. On the flip side, if you can’t afford to intern, you work at a restaurant or do retail, but those two options are out of the picture.”

The group recently launched a two-fold#SaveInternships campaign. One part is a fundraiser to reimburse interns who lost summer wages because their internships were cancelled. The campaign’s goal is to give 500 interns a $2,000-$3,000 stipend.

Vera said he understands that many small nonprofits that might have otherwise brought on interns are fighting for survival as well. He hopes offering interns a paycheck through the fund will allow them to still work with small nonprofits that are in need as they scramble to serve their communities.

“Nonprofits in marginalized communities are being asked for more of their resources,” in response to COVID-19, Vera said.

The other part of the effort is to encourage companies and other groups to offer remote internships.

Pay Our Interns has partnered with Symba, an internship management platform that is offering to help corporations and organizations onboard their interns virtually. “We’re trying to get organizations to sign onto this pledge to not cancel their internship and instead create some sort of virtual program,” Vera said.

He particularly hopes the program will help graduating students.

“It’s a really tricky situation,” Vera said. “Virtual is better than nothing, frankly.”