Schedule
All Times Pacific Standard Time
Attendee Registration & Continental Breakfast
Welcome + Opening Remarks + URx Awards
Keynote
Something Old, Something New: Rebuilding an Emerging Talent Identity
Some companies have a wildly successful framework for emerging talent brand and programs. Others have the enthusiasm but not the resources, tools, or teams - until suddenly they do, and now where do you start? In environments such as these, the job is to overhaul and reconstruct (no big deal, right?). This presentation will review the strategies and processes involved in transforming the pieces of an emerging talent brand into a full-fledged workforce program, using the newly reorganized Emerging Talent Program at Generac Power Systems as our roadmap.
Shaping the Future: Strategies for Talent Development & Career Pathways
This panel will explore best practices for onboarding, training, and developing emerging talent to ensure long-term success. Experts will discuss effective career progression plans, retention strategies, and how to scale talent development initiatives to meet the evolving needs of a growing workforce. Additionally, panelists will highlight the importance of collaboration with government agencies, non-profits, and community organizations to create meaningful pathways to employment.
Angelica Gutierrez
Essence Dashtaray
Cheri Hurtubise
Why Campus Recruiting’s Unique Challenges Need Tailored Solutions
Cracking the Egg: High School internships as the solution to solve the experience gap for undergrads
It's no secret that prior relevant experience is a primary factor in hiring decisions. But the common early career dilemma has persisted: without experience, you're unlikely to be hired - but how can you be hired if you don't land that first experience?
Since 2016, Code2College has been preparing and placing high school students (as young as 14 years old) into paid, technical Summer internships with companies like Atlassian, Indeed and YETI. These high school interns have worked alongside full-time employees implementing projects that have realized real business impact, enhanced team collaboration and engendered a culture of mentorship. With a 96% college matriculation rate, 92% intern return offer rate and over 80% of hiring managers consistently reporting that Code2College high school interns perform at or above the level of undergraduate interns on their team. Code2College alumni consistently land undergraduate internship opportunities and full-time roles because their prior experience started in high school.
In this session, you'll hear several case studies as well as empirical data related to the efficacy of high school internships and how Code2College is preparing to significantly scale this early ID intervention.
Hiring with Impact: The Power of Scholarship Programs
This session will explore the benefits of partnering with college scholarship programs which provide Scholars with comprehensive wrap-around support services. Using Dell Scholars as a prime example, we'll delve into how distinguished scholarship programs result in ambitious graduates with a proven track record of success. Attendees will learn about the success metrics of Dell Scholars, the high-demand career fields of its graduates, and the impactful hiring opportunities available. Discover how your organization can connect with these talented candidates, create meaningful partnerships, and make a significant social impact.
From Cringe to Captivating: Leveling Up Your LinkedIn Presence
Discover how to transform LinkedIn into a powerhouse for amplifying your university talent brand—organically. In this session, learn from a university recruiter who has grown a LinkedIn following of 45,000 and garnered nearly 20 million impressions in under a year. Through engaging and authentic content, you can capture the attention of candidates while providing actionable insights and creating a wider reach for internship opportunities. Walk away with practical tips to enhance your LinkedIn presence and organically grow your reach, ensuring your talent brand stands out to Gen Z candidates.
Leaders Track
Leaders Track
Lunch
Playing the Generation Game: Decoding Gen Z Success
Join us for a dynamic, interactive session where participants step into the roles of different generations to explore how they engage with Gen Z in the workplace. Through gamified activities and thought-provoking discussions, we'll uncover how generational understanding can enhance strategies for attracting and retaining Gen Z talent. This engaging experience will leave you with actionable insights, equipping you to take Gen Z from attraction to retention with confidence and success.
Becky Parson
Christina Garvey
Building Bridges: Engaging and Recruiting Minority Students with Purpose and Impact
Join Jimez Ashby and Dr. Kim Holmes for an interactive workshop designed to transform how we connect with minority students and talent from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). Through real-life stories, data-driven insights, and hands-on activities, this session will guide participants in uncovering the barriers minority students face and equip them with strategies to engage authentically and recruit effectively.
Together, we’ll explore:
1. Best practices for fostering partnerships with MSIs.
2. Tailored outreach approaches that resonate with minority students.
3. Tools to create an inclusive recruitment process that prioritizes equity and belonging.
This workshop is an opportunity to go beyond the surface, bridging gaps between organizations and underrepresented talent. You’ll leave inspired and equipped with actionable strategies to build pathways for diverse talent and nurture their success in meaningful ways.
Presentation
Networking Block / Afternoon Treat
From Campus to Career: Transforming Early Talent Acquisition with Innovation
As the landscape of talent acquisition evolves, companies must embrace innovation to attract, engage, and retain top early career talent. This panel will explore cutting-edge strategies for university and early career recruiting, the role of AI, data, and technology in streamlining hiring processes, and best practices for building strong partnerships with universities and talent communities. Join industry experts as they share insights on virtual and hybrid recruiting models, employer branding, and the future of early talent acquisition.
Jesse Cline
Joy Osborne
Katie Dallinga
It's Getting Real: Optimizing Intern Evaluations
Learn how to unify candidate, intern and New Grad competencies for better hiring results. Mobilize your managers and mentors to provide high-quality feedback and evaluations and provide consistency and equity through structured calibrations.
Empowering Future Leaders: Innovative Approaches to Education & Community Outreach
In an increasingly complex social and political landscape, government entities must engage with their communities to build trust, understanding, and collaboration. This presentation will explore innovative strategies for education and community outreach that will not only enhance public engagement in governmental processes but also attract a diverse talent pool for future workforce needs. By leveraging modern technology, grassroots initiatives, and collaborative partnerships, we can cultivate a generation of civic-minded leaders committed to the progress and responsiveness of government.
Leaders Track
Leaders Track
Keynote: Developing the AI Workforce of Tomorrow: Bridging University Education and Industry Needs
Closing + URx Awards
Networking Reception
Continental Breakfast Arrival and Setup
Welcome Back + URx Awards
Retention and Growth for Early Careers
In this session we will discuss the importance of the growth of early careers and how this is tied to a retention strategy for the organization. By showcasing the development of an early careers strategy that focuses on career development using the internship program as a pipeline to a rotational development program. The rotation development program is the key to long term retention and consistent career development that early talent is looking for in their first role!
Renu Midha
Discussion Session
Leaders Track
Leaders Track
Strengthening Connections: Effective Strategies for Engaging Talent Communities & Universities
A strong university relations strategy is key to attracting and nurturing early career talent, but what truly drives success in these partnerships? In this session, MathWorks will share insights from six years of refining their university engagement strategy. Discover effective approaches to fostering meaningful relationships with universities, engaging talent communities, and building long-term pipelines for early career hiring. Whether you're looking to enhance your existing efforts or start fresh, this session will provide actionable strategies to elevate your approach.
Michelle Ciak
Diversity of Thought: Building Pathways for Recruiting Neurodivergent Early Talent
As companies strive to build inclusive and innovative workplaces, there is a growing need to tap into the talents of neurodiverse students—including those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other cognitive differences. However, many organizations struggle with designing recruitment strategies, internship programs, and workplace cultures that truly support these individuals.
This session will provide practical insights on how employers can attract, hire, and retain neurodiverse college students for internship opportunities. We will explore best practices for sourcing talent, adapting hiring processes, and creating workplace environments that foster belonging and success. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to build more inclusive internship programs that benefit both neurodiverse candidates and the broader organization.
Shantra Laye
Breakout Session
Hidden Talent: Expanding Early Career Hiring Beyond Traditional Pathways overlooked talent at smaller, less well known, affordable, accessible local colleges
Discover how you can reach overlooked and underserved CS talent from smaller, less, well-known, but affordable and accessible colleges in your backyard. Learn about the unique strengths of these CS students, their lived experiences, and how they can help to meet your talent needs. Hear from student service organizations ColorStack and Mentors in Tech, faculty working with these students, and employers hiring them.
The panel will offer perspectives from student serving organizations: ColorStack and Mentors in Tech, employer: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, college: Cal State Monterey Bay’s Computing Talent Initiative.
Jehron Petty
Cultivating Human Connection in High-Volume Recruitment
In the fast-paced realm of high-volume recruitment, it’s common for us to lose sight of the individual when faced with a high volume of applicants. This roundtable discussion invites participants to connect and collaborate, sharing insights, strategies, and best practices for maintaining a human-centered approach in recruiting. Our goal is to explore how to continue fostering connections with candidates while navigating the dynamic landscape of high-volume applications. Join us as we discuss ways to re-ground ourselves in ensuring that every applicant feels valued and engaged throughout the recruitment process, even amid the demands of a busy hiring cycle.
Breakout Session
Leaders Track
Leaders Track
Lunch
From Onboarding to Advancement: Cultivating Emerging Talent for Long-Term Success
How can organizations effectively nurture entry-level talent and set them up for long-term career growth? This panel will dive into key strategies for onboarding, training, and career progression, as well as retention tactics to keep top talent engaged. Panelists will also discuss how to scale talent development programs and collaborate with external partners to expand employment opportunities for emerging professionals.
Anne Schettig
Ashley Silva
The Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Career Collaborative
As the number of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) surpasses 600 this year, these universities represent a growing and diverse talent pool for employers. This session will explore how organizations can engage with HSIs to tap into a rich source of talent, foster diversity, and strengthen recruitment pipelines. Learn about the HSI Career Collaborative and how it creates meaningful connections between employers and the next generation of professionals from HSIs.
Bridging the Career Readiness Gap: A First-Generation Lens on Workplace Success
We're living through a profound shift in how young people enter and experience work, but we're using an outdated playbook to manage it. The numbers tell a striking story: 60% of hiring managers say recent graduates aren't ready for the workplace, while first-generation students - many facing unique systemic barriers - now make up a majority of college enrollment for the first time in American history, 54% today vs 18% in 2011. This isn't just a skills gap - it's a fundamental mismatch between how we prepare young people for work and what modern work actually requires.
Drawing on extensive research and real-world cases, this session explores how the intersection of Gen Z characteristics, first-generation status, and rapidly evolving workplace demands has created a perfect storm that's costing U.S. companies an estimated $570 billion. But there's hope: new models and solutions of early career development are emerging that could transform how we bridge this divide.
