Student Success Stories
See how students across the country use paid project work to show their skills, connect with employers and launch their careers.
Trey Newton: A Sophomore Landed a Paid IBM AI Project Within Two Weeks
IBM posted paid AI research projects for students who had earned IBM SkillsBuild AI badges. Trey, a computer science sophomore at South Carolina State University, saw IBM projects at the top of his dashboard and was selected within two weeks of applying, years before graduation.
Jessica Tardy: Working With Her Future Supervisor Made the Job Decision Easy
FleetCor gave Jessica, a University of Georgia economics and psychology student, ownership of a paid data analysis project. It led to a conversation about a full-time role, and she accepted, saying that working with her supervisor first let her decide with confidence.
Yayra Tsikudo: Multiple Projects Became a Long-Term HR Role
While earning her master’s degree at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Yayra completed Micro-Internships for the same supervisor. That relationship turned into a long-term HR position, which she has kept while pursuing a Ph.D. in Business Psychology.
Emma Tibbetts: A Real Sales Pitch Did More Than Her Resume
Emma, a sales and marketing double major at Kansas State University, completed a paid Micro-Internship with medical device company Smith+Nephew. Showing her work, not just her resume, gave her an edge, and she accepted a full-time offer from the company.
Harishma Ashok: A Process Improvement Project Led to a Full-Time Hire and a Promotion
HCA Healthcare’s North Florida Division brought in Harishma, a data analytics graduate student at the University of Central Florida, to streamline internal workflows, and used the project to evaluate her. She was hired full-time and promoted within three months.
Patricia Díaz Galliano: A Study-Break Application Became a Full-Time Offer at EY
Through GW Career Quest, George Washington University’s Micro-Internship program, Patricia took on a research project for EY. The project gave EY a chance to get to know her before interviewing her, and she received and accepted a full-time offer.
Sophie Osborn: A Remote Test Project Turned Into an Internship
A firm two hours from Kansas State University used a remote project to see whether Sophie could do the work without being on-site, a low-cost way to evaluate her before committing. It then hired her as an intern. Through the Kansas Micro-Internship Program, she completed more than a dozen paid projects.
Sarah Lutot: A Nonprofit Project Through Her University Became a Permanent Role
Through the University of Delaware’s BlueHensWork program, Sarah drafted outreach emails for Reel Families for Change, a nonprofit supporting workplace equity in film and television. About a year later, the project led to a permanent role with the organization.
Emily McClung: A First-Year Helped Raise Lobby Day Participation by About 400%
Through SwatWorks, Swarthmore College’s Micro-Internship program, Emily helped an alumna-led climate advocacy network organize a virtual lobby day. Her supervisor credited her behind-the-scenes work with raising participation and completed appointments by about 400%.
Cem Sagiroglu: One HR Project Led Xylem to Bring Him Back Twice More
Xylem’s HR team asked Cem, a postgraduate student at Douglas College, to turn unclear parts of their onboarding plans into business process maps. Pleased with the result, Xylem hired him for an IT project on managing corporate devices and a third on software market research.
Lydia Nunez De La Torre: Paid Projects That Fit Around a Full Course Load
Lydia, a psychology major and honors student at Florida International University, left her full-time job to focus on school and used Micro-Internships to earn income around her classes. She completed five projects, and two of the four companies she worked with invited her back.