2022 Student Leadership Conference

In-person Oct. 28-29, San Diego | Virtual (TBD), Gathertown

Overview

Student Leadership Conference

The Student Leadership Conference (SLC) brings together engineering, computer science and other STEM undergraduate students with industry professionals to develop the next generation of diverse leaders. The conference is an opportunity for STEM students to develop the teamwork and leadership skills necessary to successfully transition from college to professional careers.

The in-person conference will feature 200 of MESA’s top undergraduate and community college students.

The virtual conference is open to ALL MESA undergraduate students.

In-person

Oct 28-29, San Diego

During the in-person and virtual conference students will:

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Explore career opportunities with corporate recruiting panels

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Gain career skills with leadership sessions and workshops

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Expand professional networks with MESA alumni panels and career expos

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Develop interviewing skills

Attendance

Who’s at SLC?

The in-person conference is an invite-only event for MESA computer science, engineering and other STEM undergraduate students from more than one dozen community colleges and 17 universities throughout California, including:

CSU Chico	CSU San Diego	UC Riverside
CSU East Bay	San Jose State University	UC Santa Barbara
CSU Fresno	Sonoma State University	UC Santa Cruz
CSU Long Beach	UC Berkeley	University of the Pacific
CSU Los Angeles	UC Irvine	University of Southern California
CSU Sacramento	UC Los Angeles

Highlights

Key Conference Elements

Both the in-person and virtual events will give students the unique opportunity to interact with industry professionals one-on-one or in small groups. This access boosts confidence, exposes them to real-world career situations and helps companies identify potential future employees.

IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES

Workshops

Students attend a series of on site workshops focused on developing emotional intelligence and leadership skills and its importance.

Career Expo

In-person student participants are grouped into teams and given a project assignment to complete by the end of the conference. Each project will be reviewed and judged by industry representatives. Prizes are awarded to the top-scoring project teams.

Team Challenge

In-person student participants are grouped into teams and given a project assignment to complete by the end of the conference. Each project will be reviewed and judged by industry representatives. Prizes are awarded to the top-scoring project teams.

Ray Landis Impact Award

This distinguished honor is bestowed upon a visionary in diversity and STEM education. At the 2018 MESA Student Leadership Conference, we commemorated the life and impact of Ray Landis with the inaugural award presented to Rick Ainsworth.

Understanding Dr. Landis’ life and work is to understand a blueprint for how to have impact. His legacy is all around us: from the 250,000 MESA alumni to the over 45 MESA college program sites to the over 7,000 college students currently enrolled in MESA programs here in California alone. We believe, however, that it is critically important for us to preserve his legacy by continuing to tell the story of his life and his work.

VIRTUAL ACTIVITIES

Webinars

Students attend a virtual conference-scape through GatherTown and participate in webinars to develop leadership, communications and other career-building skills.

Career Expo

Within the GatherTown conference world students will connect with industry representatives at virtual expo tables to learn about career paths, internship opportunitites and more.

Mock Interviews

In the GatherTown environment, each student participates in a mock situational interview facilitated by industry representatives who provide feedback and coach the students on successful strategies.

The MESA SLC is a great example of an event that helps to develop our next generation of STEM leaders

Diversity & Workforce Management Director,

San Diego Gas and Electric

Event Schedule

What’s happening at SLC?

12:00 Conference Check-in

2:00 Kick-Off/Team Ice Breaker/Project Intro

3:30 Lightning Round 1 – PG&E

4:05 Lightning Round 2 – TBD

4:30 Room Key Distribution

6:00 Welcome Dinner w/ Alumni Panel

8:00 Photos

9:00 Team Meet-Ups/Networking

7:30AM Breakfast & Team Work Time

9:15 Workshop Rotation 1 – Uber

10:30 Workshop Rotation 2 – PG&E

11:45 Lunch

1:20PM Workshop Rotation 3 – Harris & Assoc.

2:35 Workshop Rotation 4 – Team Project Work

3:45 Career Expo and Refreshment Break

4:30 Final Team Meet Ups

6:00 Closing Dinner w/ Recruiter Panel

Industry partners participate in webinars, panels and a Career Expo during which they may identify candidates for internships and full time STEM positions.

Both in-person and virtual opportunities are available. Find more details at the bottom of this page on how companies and individuals can get involved.

COVID Protocols

While we plan to host the conference in-person, MESA will continue to adhere to local and state COVID-related health guidelines, which could change unexpectedly. The following requirements will be in place for the in-person event for all students and guests:

- All attendees must have a negative COVID test either the day before or day of arrival at the conference
- Elevated cleaning/sanitizing of all lodging rooms and public spaces
- Masks are highly encouraged indoors for the duration of the conference (depending on current county requirements)
- Sanitizing stations, hand sanitizer, masks made available

Virtual

Date TBD
Gathertown, Zoom

The virtual event on GatherTown and Zoom will be open to all MESA undergraduate and community college students from more than 50 campuses across California. Students will participate in 21st-century career webinars, mock interviews and attend a virtual career expo. Date and more details will be announced soon.

Support

How You Can Strengthen SLC

Company Engagement

Sponsorships include myriad opportunities for branding, student impact, talent recruitment and access to high caliber MESA students.

Sponsor benefits:

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Diversify you company's talent pipeline

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Engage employees through a tangible opportunity for your company to give back

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Access future STEM leaders

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Catch the creative spark and energy of young scientists and engineers

In-person Expo Rep

Date/Time: Saturday, 10/29 3:45pm-5:00 pm

Included: 6 ft table and 1 chair. Engage with students 1 on 1 and introduce your company to them. We encourage pre-packaged swag giveaways to make a healthy environment.

Upon arrival at the conference, you will be shown the location of your table for setup. Once the expo begins, students will line up to interact with you one on one.

To register for a table at the expo, click here

In-person Workshop Host/Panelist

Lead a workshop to boost students’ career skills in topics such as team-building, emotional intelligence, communications. This is an opportunity to showcase your company and career opportunities.

Panels made up of company recruiters discuss trends in hiring and answer student questions.

For more information or to discuss a workshop or panel contact Development Director Mindy Rieger.

Virtual Expo Rep

Date/Time: TBD

Included: 1 virtual table and chair set. You will be invited to a training session for the virtual space before the event begins. Upon arrival at the virtual conference, you will be shown the location of your table for setup. Once the expo begins, students will virtually line up to interact with you one on one on a video conferencing platform.

To host a virtual table please click here

Virtual Host/Panelist

Lead a workshop to boost students’ career skills in topics such as team-building, emotional intelligence, communications. This is an opportunity to showcase your company and career opportunities.

Panels made up of company recruiters discuss trends in hiring and answer student questions.

For more information or to discuss a workshop or panel contact Development Director Mindy Rieger.

For more information, view our SLC 2022 Sponsor Packet.

If you are interested in supporting the Student Leadership Conference, or to find out more information, please contact:

Mindy Rieger, Director of Development
mindy.rieger@ucop.edu

Individual Engagement

Inspire and be inspired! Volunteer for SLC in-person or virtually (or both!)

In-Person Team Leader

Summary: Corporate team leaders assist MESA staff in guiding students in team projects. Captains will provide support and coaching and will help focus the group on the tasks at hand and ensure they meet the project milestones and deadlines.

Location: Marriott Mission Valley, 8757 Rio San Diego Dr, San Diego, CA 92108

Conference attendees and team makeup: 20 teams made up of 10 university and community college students from around California. The majority of the students are engineering or computer science majors.

Training: MESA will host a webinar Friday, October 7th at 12:00 pm.

Time commitment: 1 hour training (above) and:

Friday 10/28 2:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Saturday 10/29 7:00 am – 8:00 pm
A hotel stay is highly recommended, but not required. Discounted lodging rates are available here.

To register as a team leader, please click here

Virtual Mock Interviewer

Date/Time: TBD

Summary: Volunteers will be assigned students for 20 minute virtual interviews using a video conferencing platform. Student resumes will be sent ahead of the interview. Many of the MESA students have never been interviewed before and we are asking volunteers to assist them in gaining new interviewing skills during this process.

To register as a virtual mock interviewer, please click here