This summer, college students from around the world, a total of 17 countries, participated in the Southwestern Advantage Internship Program, serving 97,638 families across 2,251 communities* in the U.S. and Canada. For these students, the summer was about more than running a business. It was an opportunity to build leadership skills, gain real-world experience, connect with communities, and prepare for life after college.
Along the way, 391 students took on leadership roles, helping mentor and support other representatives throughout the summer.
*Communities represent locations where more than 200 units were sold during Summer 2026.
Learning Through Real-World Experience
The Southwestern Advantage Internship gives college students the opportunity to learn by doing. Students run their own businesses while developing skills in communication, leadership, time management, problem-solving, and working with people from different backgrounds.
This year, students continued to see growth throughout the summer. Retention among experienced sales representatives increased 8.3% year over year, while retention among first-year sales representatives increased 31.9%.
The average number of experienced sales representatives featured on the Pacesetter report increased 13.0%, while the average number of first-year sales representatives featured increased 7.1%. The Pacesetter report highlights the top-performing sales representatives based on their sales results throughout the summer.
Those numbers represent students who continued showing up, learning from challenges, and working toward their goals throughout the summer.
For Edwin Perez-Diaz, a first-year sales representative from the University of Colorado Denver, the experience helped him see the difference his work could make for families.
“The way that a lot of these families impacted me is by making me realize that the job I was doing actually mattered because a lot of families told me how much they needed something like these resources and how not everyone would do something like this, spending their summer in the heat.”
Students also had opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities. The 391 student leaders included 46 Organizational Leaders and Assistant Organizational Leaders who helped guide and mentor other students while continuing to grow themselves.
Making an Impact in Communities
The summer experience also gave students the chance to become part of the communities where they lived and worked.
Third-year sales representative Sophia Galbraith from the University of Florida spent her summer in Ogle County, Illinois. As a Top Experienced Salesperson and Assistant Organizational Leader, she focused not only on her own goals but also on the people she met along the way.
“I feel like I really made an impact to the people in Ogle County and I am really proud of how I left people this summer. I think regardless of if people bought I was able to build people up and encourage them which was an amazing focus for me. I feel like I became a part of the community and I am going to miss these people a lot. I shared a lot of laughs, tears, and fun with families this summer!”
Students also looked for ways to serve their communities outside of their regular work. During Service Week, student representatives raised more than $21,000 for the 2026 Sizzler Service Project, which will support a community in Punta Cana later this year.
The summer also included Exchange Day, an annual opportunity for European exchange student representatives to give back in the communities where they spent their summers. More than 44 groups participated in activities such as donating pet food and volunteering at local animal shelters, picking up trash, helping local farms, visiting retirement homes, and more.
Together, these experiences gave students the opportunity to contribute to the communities around them.
A New Resource for Families
Summer 2026 also marked the first year that Southwestern Advantage representatives sold Coop and Friends, a six-book collection for children ages 4-9.
The books introduce young readers to relatable leadership and life experiences, including teamwork, patience, and perseverance. Coop and Friends is based on the popular Coop Toon® animated leadership video series featured in SWA Global Academy’s Skwids® early learning app, which brings the books to life.
More than 5,165 sets were sold during the summer, giving families a new way to explore these ideas together.
Families were quick to share how the books became part of their routines: “My youngest is all about Coop and Friends. In less than 24 hours, we had went through 4 of the books! She even drew a picture at the end of what she learned from What’s Next. We skimmed through a few pages today with our older two and they seem super motivated to learn. They can’t wait to get on the app to learn more.” – Brittany C.
Another parent shared: “We LOVE our books! Coop and friends have become daily readers in our home.” – Kari P.
The strong first summer for Coop and Friends gave student representatives the opportunity to introduce a new educational resource to families while helping connect those families with resources designed to support learning beyond the summer.
A Summer Supported by a Community
Students don’t experience the Southwestern Advantage Internship on their own. This summer, 473 host families across the U.S. and Canada opened their homes to student representatives, providing a place to live and a connection to the local community.
This year, Southwestern Advantage also tested new host-family kits with a sample group of students and host families. The kits were designed to recognize host families, provide helpful information throughout the summer, and create a stronger connection between host families and the Southwestern Advantage experience.
The kits included a host-family booklet with information about the summer, a housing agreement template and checklist, along with a yard sign, fridge magnet, and tote bag. Feedback from the students and host families who participated in the test was very positive.
Host families were just one part of the network supporting students throughout the summer, alongside student leaders, families, communities, and the broader Southwestern organization.
Interested in becoming a host family? Learn more about hosting a Southwestern Advantage student representative and apply here.
Recognized Throughout the Summer
The work of Southwestern Advantage students also received attention from communities and news organizations across the country. In total, students were featured in 21 news stories and broadcasts during Summer 2026.
Some of the stories highlighted international students experiencing life in new communities, including a student from Finland serving families in East Texas and international students sharing what they learned during their summer in Ohio. Other coverage focused on the educational resources students brought to local families and the positive relationships they built in their communities.
The program also received recognition beyond individual summer stories. Southwestern Advantage was named the 2026 Torch Award for Marketplace Trust winner by the Better Business Bureau serving Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky. The Southwestern Family of Companies was also recognized as a 2026 Top Workplace by The Tennessean and USA Today and a 2026 Best Place to Work by the Nashville Business Journal.
These recognitions reflect the work happening both within Southwestern Advantage and across the broader organization that supports its students and employees.
Taking the Experience Forward
Summer 2026 gave hundreds of college students the chance to run a business, work with families, lead others, serve their communities, and learn from experiences that don’t happen in a classroom.
For students like seven-year sales representative and associate sales leader Jacob Brittingham of California State University San Marcos, the lessons from the summer will continue beyond the program.
“I learned lots, I’m extremely proud for making the decision to invest in myself through this summer, with the goal in mind of choosing/finding peace amidst undesirable external circumstances. It taught me that regardless of how I’m feeling, it’s taking action that improves the quality of my life.”
From first-year students experiencing their first summer to experienced representatives taking on new leadership roles, each student had a different experience. But the opportunity to build confidence, develop practical skills, serve others, and take on challenges was shared across the program.
For many students, Summer 2026 was another step toward becoming the kind of professional and leader they want to be long after college.
Want to spend next summer building your own business and gaining experience that goes beyond the classroom? Learn more about the Southwestern Advantage Internship Program and apply for Summer 2027.
