CPP Launches Micro-Internship Program Based on a $1.7 Million Grant
Apply what you learned inside the classroom to the real world by enrolling in a course that includes one of Cal Poly Pomona’s micro-internships.
Hosted by Innovation Incubator, micro-internships are short-term, paid, project-based, and flexible to a student’s schedule. Students can participate in a variety of multidisciplinary micro-internships that range from 20 to 40 hours and can earn up to $600 per project. The popular option is micro-internships embedded into pre-existing courses, but students can work on these separately. Students also have the choice to work remotely. Some current micro-internships include writing for the Poly Post, working with patients at the Motor Development Clinic, and collecting information at the San Bernardino County Museum.
“We are embedding micro-internships in courses because we know that that’s the time students can dedicate to do an internship,” said Jesus Bermudez Bautista, micro-internship program manager. “Outside of that, students are busy; they may already have jobs or might not have time outside of school.”
The micro-internships were made possible by a $1.7 million grant from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and the California Community Foundation.
As part of the effort to assess and promote the impact of the program, Communications Assistant Professor Denisse Vasquez Guevera and Management and Human Resources Professor Preeti Wadhwa presented their micro-internship findings during the 107th annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) conference. Vasquez Guevara presented the pedagogical paper on social media strategic content consultantship micro-internships for on-campus clients, and Wadhwa was the author of the grant and creator of the program.
“We presented the pedagogics around the micro-internship, why soft skills are so important in the skill set of a student, like how to present yourself, how to negotiate something with a client, have effective communication skills, and why it's so important to learn how to make a proposal,” Vasquez Guevara. “Soft skills teach you to be resilient to clients' comments and learn from a working experience that sometimes has bumps in the road. You cannot learn those bumps in the road from a textbook—you will learn it from experience.”
Their research ultimately showed that micro-internships helped students bridge course concepts to their practical application. Vasquez Guevara also emphasized the need to create incentives for both professors and students alike to promote the future of micro-internships in learning.
Senior communication students Caroline Gonzales and Bryan Doan participated in a micro-internship through Vasquez Guevara’s class. Together, they worked to observe trends, target a demographic and generate creative ideas to promote the Poly Post.
“I feel more confident in presenting my ideas to other companies and feel a lot more prepared to do it. I wouldn't have known how to do it before taking this class,” said Gonzales. “How to present, how to do my research beforehand, how to interview a client that we're working with, creating a goal, I feel a lot more confident in being able to do that when the opportunity gets presented.”
Gonzales and Doan said they found the experience helpful and would encourage other students to try it at least once during their college experience. They also recommend that students incorporate preexisting hobbies and passions into their roles.
“I enjoy food a lot, and for the Poly Post, I got to create a recurring series that still goes on today called The Graze. It highlights food around campus and had a good reception, 1,000 people across the local community of Cal Poly Pomona, and Pomona in general,” said Doan. “I got to see what I had made, and it made me more motivated to create more of those things. I'm just very happy to know that people are pushing for me to keep making this content.”
In the program's first year, Benjamin Kittaka, a senior in architecture, participated in two micro-internships. The first project he worked on was to create a design displaying all of the office logos to be installed on the Office of Academic Innovation golf cart. His second project was a 150-foot wall graphic located in Building 1.
“I have a more expanded view approaching architecture, now knowing how design works from a different angle. It is really useful for being innovative within my major—it helped broaden my view of the field of design,” said Kittaka. “This micro-internship was a wonderful opportunity to have a lasting impact on my school through the projects that the Office of Academic Innovation prepared for us. It is awesome to think that people will be able to see and hopefully benefit from the work we did in building 1.”
Debbie Tanaka, micro-internship program coordinator, also shared her thoughts on the importance of micro-internships related to Cal Poly Pomona’s philosophy of learn by doing.
“It fits well with learn by doing because you're not only learning in class, but you're actually earning, and you're making an impact on the company you're working for,” said Tanaka. “It boils down to the application. You can learn as much as you like, but if you're not applying it to anything, then it's not making an impact to your professional development as much as you'd want it to. With the micro internship, you have the opportunity to apply what you're learning, and you're learning on the spot.”
Ultimately, Innovation Incubator hopes to institutionalize this program beyond the current 3-year grant funding and have companies pay for the tasks students complete. The program also hopes to expand its reach to more students, with goals of enrolling 1000 students in year two and 1500 students in year three of the grant.
No matter your current academic standing or legal documentation status, whether you are a full-time student or an international student, these micro-internships are inclusive to all CPP students.
For more information regarding micro-internships, visit the Innovation Incubator website, contact them directly at innovationinc@cpp.edu, or apply by creating a free account through Parker Dewey.