At the UC Irvine ANTrepreneur Center, we believe real-world experience should be accessible to every student, no matter their major, background, or future career goals.
That belief is what led us to launch and popularize UC Irvine’s first Micro-Internship Program in 2022. In just three years, it has become a powerful engine for experiential learning, professional development, and inclusive innovation, while helping employers hire better, faster, and more confidently.
Today, we’re proud to celebrate a major milestone:
- Interest from over 4,000 students and alumni.
- More than 238 paid Micro-Internships completed.
- Students have collectively earned over $150,000 in project-based paid opportunities.
Celebrating this exciting accomplishment, Ryan Foland, Director of the ANTrepreneur Center, says:
“Micro-Internships are one of the best ways to support student success because they meet students where they are. They are flexible, paid, project-based, and accessible. We are helping students get hired and helping employers tap into the incredible talent pool we have at UC Irvine. Beyond the work the students complete, this also helps companies recruit students for full-time roles and summer internships.”
What Is a Micro-Internship?
A Micro-Internship is a short-term, paid, project-based opportunity that provides students with meaningful, hands-on experience.
Unlike traditional internships, these projects are:
- Flexible: They can be in-person, hybrid, or remote.
- Short-term: Designed to be completed within a few weeks (typically between 20 to 100 hours).
- Customizable: Tailored to specific skills, timelines, and business needs.
- Easy: Don’t require onboarding, access to sensitive information or internal systems, or HR burdens
Open to undergraduates, master’s students, PhD students, and recent alumni, these project-based jobs offer real impact on both sides of the equation.
“From an economic development standpoint, the UC Irvine Micro-Internship program is a creative and scalable way to connect students directly with multiple businesses,” explains Jayro Sandoval, Economic Development Manager of Sunstone (ANTrepreneur Center Corporate Circle member). “It not only teaches them valuable, in-demand skills but also creates a pipeline for future corporate partners. Programs like this prepare students for the workforce while strengthening our local innovation economy.”
How It Works
- An employer or project sponsor creates a profile and posts a Micro-Internship.
- The ANTrepreneur Center promotes the opportunity to our student base.
- Students apply by answering custom application questions (not just submitting a résumé).
- The employer selects a candidate. Parker Dewey (our Micro-Internship program host) invoices the full project fee upfront.
- The student and employer collaborate to complete the project directly.
- Once both parties mark the project complete, Parker Dewey releases payment to the student.
This structure makes it easy to participate, ensuring that students know the funds are secured, employers only pay for completed, satisfactory work, and neither party has to manage employment paperwork.
Why Employers Choose Micro‑Internships
Whether you’re an early-stage founder (or UC Irvine student building your first venture), nonprofit, or Fortune 500, Micro‑Internships solve common hiring challenges:
- Reduces risk: See real work before making a full‑time offer and stay lean while scaling.
- Saves time and money: No onboarding or payroll setup; Parker Dewey serves as the employer of record.
- Allows hiring confidence: Evaluate skills, motivation, and fit through actual deliverables.
For early-stage founders, especially UC Irvine students building their first ventures, Micro-Internships offer a game-changing hiring model. By relying on Micro-Internships, startups can bring on their first team members with funding from pitch competitions, grants, or early revenue. This model allows local companies, including student-led startups, to move faster, save money, and focus on growth.
UC Irvine Leads the Way
The UCI ANTrepreneur Center pioneered the Micro-Internship platform model on campus in 2022, and our success has inspired the UC Irvine DREAM Center to launch its own Micro-Internship platform and the UC Irvine Graduate Division to build a graduate-focused program.
“The UCI ANTrepreneur Center has been one of the most effective partners with which we have worked,” said Jeffrey Moss, Founder & CEO, Parker Dewey. “Their focus on the ‘win-win’ outcomes for students and companies has allowed them to successfully promote the Micro-Internship program, connect students to employers, and create meaningful engagement that has led to significant traction. Their innovative approach continues to excite us as we grow this program together.”
A Pathway for Underserved Students
The ANTrepreneur Center is committed to serving first-generation, undocumented, and underserved student communities. Because Micro-Internships are structured as gig-based work, they open legal, meaningful opportunities for students who may face barriers to traditional employment. This model removes barriers and builds bridges, helping students gain skills, income, and confidence.
Real Impact: Micro-Internship Case Studies
- United Exchange Corporation (Consumer Packaged Goods)
UC Irvine-alumni-owned United Exchange Corporation (parent company of Tapatio Ramen, Sriracha Ramen, and Choi Premium Ramen) hired six students and assigned each a unique month to create branded Instagram Reels and Stories. These content campaigns tied in themes of entrepreneurship, food insecurity, and innovation. In just 30 days, six students created and scheduled content for six full months, demonstrating the power of well-scoped Micro-Internships.
- Sigma Computing (Data Analytics)
Sigma Computing needed millions of lines of synthetic data for product demos. Through a 100-hour Micro-Internship, a UC Irvine master’s student in Informatics was hired to build the dataset, supporting sales and marketing without compromising customer privacy.
- UC Irvine Giving Day (University Advancement)
Over the last three years, UC Irvine has hired more than 15 Micro-Interns to support Giving Day. Students are trained in AI tools and social media strategy, then embedded with departments to co-create content that drives fundraising success. Their efforts have directly contributed to increased engagement, donations, and sponsor participation.
Student Micro-Intern Testimonials
“It was amazing! I was able to learn so much from my lead and picked up some really useful skills.”
“I found this internship very valuable. I was able to learn more technical skills in marketing and learned how I can use my skills to be even sharper. I feel very confident going into the job market after this internship.”
“This Micro-Internship helped me understand how to manage social media accounts and increase publicity for events. The Micro-Internship begins with informative training via videos that dive deeper into what’s expected and provide Micro-Interns with skills and resources to perform.”
“It was an eventful few weeks filled with new learning experiences. This Micro-Internship allows you one-on-one experience with working professionals in your assigned department. I loved my flexibility as well.”
“This Micro-Internship helped me strengthen the skills that I had acquired in my social media marketing class. It was very fun and insightful to put my knowledge in a real-life setting.”
“My experience with this Micro-Internship was great. I was able to express my creativity and create connections with UC Irvine alumni, broadening my network. I will definitely be doing it again.”
“The Micro-Internship provided me with a great experience to learn how to improve and expand my social media skills, from curating and designing content to learning video editing and using ChatGPT.”
“I wanted to learn how to fix up my graphic design skills, and I was able to do that under the supervision of my lead. I received constructive criticism and learned about color schemes, shapes, and font usage.”
Employer Testimonials
“Lauryn was AMAZING! She created more than 75 graphics for our alumni chapters and collaborated with me on a video that received over 9,400 views on Instagram. We ended up raising over $61,000, and I’ve since asked her to continue working with me. It was the BEST experience.”
“Crystal was amazing and had the skillset, professionalism, knowledge, and creativity to elevate our campaign. She was proactive and had a can-do attitude. Because of the positive experience, I’m excited to have another Micro-Intern next year.”
“Ally was instrumental in our Giving Day campaign, and we couldn’t have done it without her. She was extremely professional, responsive, and proactive. She created a comprehensive social media campaign and was a joy to work with.”
“Vivian communicated frequently and exceeded expectations. She was a self-starter, creative, and delivered polished work. We could not have executed our campaign successfully without her support.”
“Working with a student who is motivated, knowledgeable, and outside our typical network made a huge difference. The training provided was wonderful, and it was a minimal investment for a big return. Thank you.”
Ready to Get Involved?
At UC Irvine, we are not just preparing students for the future—we are helping them build it. These Micro-Internships provide a bridge between academics and industry, between theory and practice, and between aspirations and opportunity. Whether you’re looking to launch your career or support the next generation of changemakers, the UC Irvine Micro-Internship Platform is the place to start.
Students & Recent Alumni:
Want to build your résumé, earn income, and gain real-world experience?
→ Sign up now!
Employers, Alumni & Community Partners:
Want to hire talented UC Irvine students for short-term gig work?
→ Create a free account and post your project!