Emerging Leaders Committee
The Emerging Leaders Committee brings together students, early career professionals, and researchers who are passionate about hazard mitigation and climate adaptation to help advance NHMA’s mission on a national scale. It creates a collaborative space where emerging voices actively shape committee and organizational priorities, build peer networks, and work on projects such as launching student chapters, supporting NHMA training and curriculum efforts, and contributing research and content for current-event white papers. Open to participants from all backgrounds and disciplines, the committee offers a platform to connect with like-minded professionals, develop leadership skills, and help drive innovative, equity-focused risk reduction in communities across the country.
Student Opportunities
Students and emerging professionals will find this page as a central hub for opportunities to grow their careers and impact in hazard mitigation. Here, the Emerging Leaders Committee curates awards, scholarships, internships, jobs, and volunteer roles across disciplines from planning and engineering to public policy, public health, environmental science, and more.
Student Awards and Opportunities
Mary Fran Myers Scholarship
Travel awards for students and practitioners to attend the Natural Hazards Workshop and Researchers Meeting.
IAEM Scholarship Program
International Association of Emergency Managers scholarships for students in emergency management or closely related degrees.
Aspiring Emergency Managers Online Scholarships
Scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing emergency management or closely related degrees worldwide.
Emergency Management Scholarships
Aggregated list featuring multiple EM-focused scholarships (e.g., Emerging Leaders in Emergency Preparedness Scholarships, IAEM scholarships, and others).
A&WMA Scholarships and Awards
Environmental and atmospheric science scholarships that can support students working on air quality, climate, and risk topics connected to mitigation.
FEMA National Disaster & Emergency Management University
FEMA’s hub linking to student training, higher-ed partnerships, and related opportunities.
UNDRR Internships
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction internships for graduate students and recent grads.
DC HSEMA Internship Program
District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency internships.
USAJOBS
FEMA – Federal internships, Pathways positions, and entry-level jobs with FEMA (search “mitigation” or “emergency management”).
Volunteer with NHMA
Student and emerging leader volunteer opportunities with NHMA offer a practical way to jumpstart a career in hazard mitigation while making a real contribution to disaster risk reduction. By supporting committees, research, communications, and events, volunteers gain hands-on experience, build professional networks, and develop skills that translate directly to stronger resumes, graduate applications, and early-career job prospects. This page highlights flexible roles for students and early-career professionals from multiple disciplines who want to get involved, learn from practitioners, and begin shaping the future of resilience work.
