Launched by WayUp in 2017, and continued by Yello since acquiring WayUp in 2021, National Intern Day has served as an opportunity for thousands of employers to recognize and thank their hardworking interns. The holiday has brought national attention to the challenges faced by entry-level candidates, inspiring investments into internship programs and interns themselves.
At Symba, we believe interns aren’t just learning; they’re building, innovating, and making real contributions to culture and business outcomes. That’s one of the many reasons we teamed up with Yello to empower the early career experience after recruiting. But celebrating National Intern Day isn’t just about recognizing interns—it’s also about honoring the community that supports them. Managers, mentors, buddies, and HR teams all play a critical role in making internship programs meaningful and impactful. Standing up an internship program takes work. Sustaining it takes buy-in. That’s why we’ve pulled together 15+ creative and high-impact ways to celebrate the entire ecosystem of your internship program from interns to the incredible teams behind them. Whether your program is remote, hybrid, or in-person, there’s something here for everyone.
1. Launch an Intern-to-Exec Series
Celebrate the success stories of your early career programs and show your interns that leadership starts with them. Did you know Nike’s CEO, Elliott Hill, began as an apparel sales intern in 1988? And Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming (Xbox), kicked off his journey at Microsoft back in as an intern the same year? Figure out which leaders at your company started off in your internship program and spotlight them.
How to build your series:
- Choose your voices: Spotlight leaders with meaningful backstories.
- Ask them to share:
- A pivotal moment: A pivot, mentor, or risky move.Ask them to share:
- Their intern role: What did they actually do?
- Their advice: What would they say to interns today?
- Pick your format: Quick LinkedIn carousels, short videos, or blog features.
- Why it matters: It reinforces your growth mindset, strengthens employer brand, and shows interns a visible path forward.
This series sends a powerful message—the journey from intern to leader is real and part of your company’s DNA.
2. Publish an Intern Spotlight Blog or Video
Build an editorial-style recap of your internship program. Include intern interviews, manager testimonials, and tangible impact metrics. Use your platform to spotlight both intern excellence and the behind-the-scenes champions who made it happen. For one of my personal favorites, check out Texas Instruments’ blog which tells the inspiring story of a former refugee who became an engineering intern. You can also highlight a larger group of your interns just like Marvell did on their blog here, featuring key pieces of advice to young people interested in STEM. Pro Tip: You can also use your company’s LinkedIn to spotlight your interns. Check out Axos Bank’s National Intern Day LinkedIn post acknowledging their interns and spotlighting how they celebrated! Remember, these spotlights don’t need to wait until National Intern Day! You can feature your interns throughout the program.
3. Ask for “My First Internship” Throwbacks from Execs
Ask executives or hiring managers to post a photo or story from their first internship experience. It brings humor, humility, and heart to your brand. Pair each throwback with a personal reflection: “What I learned,” “What I wish I knew,” or “Why internships matter.” For example, I recently shared my own internship throwback on LinkedIn. These can be shared on Slack, LinkedIn, or turned into an internal newsletter series. It’s a great way to drive intergenerational connection and show every leader was once a learner.
4. Celebrate Intern Signing Day
Going full-time? Make it official. Intern Signing Days mimic college athletic signings, complete with swag, photo ops, and applause. At Johnson Controls, 11 sales interns made a public commitment to return full-time and were recognized in a celebratory event by their region’s leadership. Interns were joined by program champions and regional executives, highlighting the full-circle impact of structured intern pipelines. Tip: Create a signing backdrop with your logo, branded hats or jackets, and share across social to inspire the next cohort.
5. Host a Career Day or Reverse Career Fair
Flip the script: let interns showcase their skills and projects to your organization. In a Reverse Career Fair, interns set up mini “booths” or slides where hiring managers and executives visit them to learn about their work. This format empowers interns to own their contributions and builds awareness of their impact across teams. While examples vary, companies like Dell and Capital One have hosted versions of this event—encouraging interns to present to senior leadership, often followed by Q&A and networking.
6. Create an Intern Appreciation Wall
Build a digital wall on Slack, SharePoint, or your careers page where interns can be recognized by their managers, mentors, and peers. Encourage posts that highlight not just what they did, but how they did it:
- “Big kudos to Daniel for leading our product demo and jumping in with thoughtful client questions.”
- “Shoutout to Jayla for bringing joy and hustle to every Zoom meeting—we’re lucky to have you!”
In large programs, consider organizing the wall by region or business unit. Include photos, gifs, and reactions to make it feel celebratory. Pro Tip: If you are using Symba, our platform’s discussion boards are an amazing place to post these! 🤓
7. Host Executive Q&As or Fireside Chats
Create space for interns to engage with company leadership through intentional events. Whether it’s a CEO coffee chat or a panel of VPs over breakfast, these sessions connect interns to your company’s vision and culture while giving executives visibility into emerging talent. Make it conversational. Consider having a moderator guide questions like: “What’s one mistake you made early in your career?” or “What are the most exciting areas of growth for this company?” Tip: Invite mentors or team managers to attend and share reflections alongside interns.
8. Run Intern Superlatives
Celebrate your interns with fun, creative awards like:
- “Most Likely to Be CEO”
- “Best Data Viz Drop”
- “Slack Channel MVP”
Let interns and teammates vote, and host a virtual or live awards ceremony. Design digital badges or GIFs to make it feel official. Pro tip: pair each award with a short write-up or quote from a teammate.
9. Organize an Intern Amazing Race
Plan a scavenger-hunt style challenge that sends teams racing across your company’s culture, history, or product lineup. To make it truly engaging:
- Mix up the squads across departments and encourage creative team names.
- Offer real incentives such as Amazon gift cards, company swag, or even a leadership lunch for winners.
- Spark friendly rivalry with a leaderboard or live scoring during the race.
- Include creative tasks like snapping photos with department leads or solving puzzles using office clues.
These events do more than entertain—they build cross-functional bonds, reveal hidden team resources, and inject energy into your intern program.
10. Plan a Group Outing or Social
Give interns a break from the day-to-day with a fun team-building event. Whether it’s an escape room, field day, or axe-throwing happy hour, shared experiences create memorable connections. At Rocket Companies, interns attended an Arizona Diamondbacks game in Phoenix. Companies like Fidelity hosted full-day events including lunch, indoor games, and music—creating a celebratory, festival-like atmosphere. Other great ideas:
- TopGolf
- Beach day or park picnic
- Team field day with relay races and games
- Rooftop mixer with mentors and execs
11. Send Swag and Surprise Gifts
Even as the world becomes more digital, gifting remains one of the most meaningful ways to make someone feel valued. And there’s something special about receiving a package with your name on it—especially when you’re not expecting it. For distributed or remote teams, this is a great alternative if you don’t have the opportunity to host in-person events or hand out gifts in the office. One special way CVS Health show’s appreciation for their interns is through surprise swag and gifts! This year, the Emerging Talent team partnered with a vendor to send custom-branded swag and gift cards —giving interns a chance to treat themselves to lunch on National Intern Day.
Pro Tip: Make it personal by pairing your gift with a handwritten note from their manager, or a custom thank-you card signed by the team.
12. Organize a Volunteer Day
Give interns the chance to give back with their teams. It’s a real reflection of your company values and a powerful way to build connection and purpose. At New York Life, interns teamed up with the New York Life Foundation to support Foster Love, assembling and decorating duffle bags for children in foster care. This event brought together over 200 interns, gave them facetime with executive leaders, and created a powerful shared memory. For distributed teams, offer paid volunteer hours or host a virtual volunteer event where interns can support causes they care about locally. Encourage them to share photos or reflections to bring the experience full circle.
13. Create “Day in the Life” Intern Videos
Empower interns to record short videos of their daily routines, reflections, or favorite projects. Stitch these together into a program-wide highlight reel or feature individual stories on LinkedIn and Instagram. It’s engaging, authentic, and evergreen content for your recruiting brand. Check out this Day in the Life TikTok of an Intern at TikTok! Your company’s marketing team can help reshare this content and repurpose it for your careers site with the intern’s permission.
14. Encourage Interns to Share Their Experience on Social Media
Encourage interns to tell their own stories. Let them share in their own authentic voice why they joined, what they love, and what they’re proud of contributing.
What to post
A short LinkedIn update, an Instagram Story, or even a quick Reel answering prompts like:
- “Why I chose this internship”
- “What surprised me most about working here”
- “One project I’m proud to have contributed to”
- “Mentor shoutout: who’s helped me and why”
15. Amplify Mentor & Manager Shoutouts
Next-level recognition comes from those closest to the interns—their mentors, managers, and program leads. Encourage them to take to their own social feeds to celebrate intern achievements and reflect on what they’ve gained from mentoring.
What to include:
- A high-quality photo or screenshot (in person or on Zoom) of the intern in action
- A personal story or highlight (“She took charge of our data initiative and handled it like a pro!”)
- A nod to the people behind the scenes: HR coordinators, onboarding buddies, project sponsors
Template idea for LinkedIn: “Thrilled to mentor [Name] this summer—they led [Project], infused energy into our team, and reminded me how much I enjoy coaching early-career talent. Huge shoutout to our TA team and intern buddies—couldn’t have done it without you!”
16. If You Make the Top 100 List, Show It Off
If your company earned a spot on the Yello and WayUp’s Top 100 Internship Programs list, don’t keep it a secret. Share the news internally and externally, celebrating both your interns and the team that brought the program to life. On Southwire’s blog, they proudly spotlighted their recognition and included a quote from their talent acquisition specialist reinforcing their commitment to nurturing early talent. “This achievement is a testament to the dedication of our outstanding students and the incredible teamwork of our colleagues.” – Michelle Lovvorn, Talent Acquisition Specialist for University Relations
Final Tips for a Standout National Intern Day
- Plan ahead. Send calendar invites and prep materials early.
- Use templates. Provide easy-to-use social copy and design files.
- Use the hashtag #NationalInternDay on social media. Pro tip: create a hashtag unique to your company so you can easily aggregate all posts and view them. For example, #InternsOf[YourCompany]].
- Send day-of reminders. Nudge your team to post, celebrate, and engage.
- Acknowledge the ecosystem. Thank the mentors, buddies, and behind-the-scenes champions who make it all happen.
Celebrate More Than Interns—Celebrate the Whole Community
National Intern Day is not just about the interns – it’s about the mentors, managers, buddies, coordinators, and recruiters who bring the entire internship program to life. This National Intern Day, let’s honor everyone in the community. Because investing in early talent and the community behind them builds a culture of growth that lasts. Happy National Intern Day from all of us at Symba and Yello!
