Summer 2026 - Adoption Records Internship

Founded in 1912 as an adoption agency, Canopy Children’s Solutions is Mississippi’s most comprehensive nonprofit provider of children’s behavioral health, educational, and social service solutions. Canopy employs a diverse group of mission-driven individuals committed to honoring the voice of Mississippi children and families. Being an integral part of the Canopy team involves committing to the Core Values that drive our organization forward:

• The voice of our children and families always comes first
• Relationships matter and our differences make us stronger
• We take great joy in service to others
• Our families and our communities deserve our very best

Canopy has been recognized as a Great Place to Work® for the fifth consecutive year and is one of only nine companies in Mississippi to earn this certification for 2025–2026. At Canopy, employees are committed to fostering a healthy workplace culture built on trust and driven by a shared mission: helping children thrive and empowering families to overcome extraordinary challenges.

Position Overview:

Canopy Children’s Solutions is excited to offer an Adoption Records Internship focused on the careful preparation, organization, and stewardship of historical and confidential adoption records. In this role, students become part of a dynamic, mission-driven team while contributing to a meaningful organizational initiative during an important period of transition and modernization.

Why This Internship Matters

This is not a typical records internship. The documents you will work with represent deeply personal moments—stories of children, birth families, and adoptive families whose lives are forever connected through adoption. These records are private, irreplaceable, and historically significant snapshots of real lives spanning more than a century.

As Canopy prepares for a renovation and future digitization of its records and vault space, interns will help ensure these materials are treated with care, respect, and integrity. Your work directly supports ethical record stewardship, privacy, and the preservation of history.

Key Responsibilities

• Carefully review and assess confidential adoption records to understand their purpose, content, and context
• Analyze physical documents and determine appropriate categorization and placement
• Prepare records for future preservation and digitization through thoughtful organization
• Maintain confidentiality and respect while working with sensitive materials
• Collaborate with staff to ensure records are filed and maintained according to organizational standards

Although Canopy maintains more than 7,000 adoption records, this internship will involve hands-on interaction with only a small, intentional subset of files in need of review and organization.

Who Will Thrive in This Role

• Students who enjoy detail-oriented, thoughtful work
• Individuals who value confidentiality and ethical responsibility
• Those interested in social services, sociology, anthropology, counseling, psychology, law, archives, history, or nonprofit leadership
• Students who appreciate meaningful, behind-the-scenes work that has long-term impact

What You Will Gain

• Hands-on experience working with confidential and historical records
• Exposure to adoption history and ethical information stewardship
• Professional mentorship from experienced nonprofit staff
• Resume-building experience demonstrating trust, discretion, and responsibility

Internship Program Requirements

• Attendance at a mandatory orientation and training session at the beginning of the internship
• Business professional or clinical attire
• Established contract with an academic institution
• Minimum 100-hour commitment unless otherwise stated in the academic contract
• Satisfactory completion of goals outlined by university affiliates and the assigned site supervisor

Qualifications

• Current enrollment in an undergraduate program in a complementary or related field of study.
• Must be enrolled and in good academic standing with an accredited academic institution at the time of the internship