Looking for an opportunity to apply your new (or old!) UC degree?
The HireUC Alumni Career Summit, happening August 21 at the Fresno Convention Center, is the destination of choice for alumni on the job hunt or simply looking to build their professional connections. Up to a thousand alumni from all 10 UC campuses are expected, along with more than 50 employers across diverse fields. The summit, free for UC alumni, also boasts a dynamic lineup of panels on career-related issues.
UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz, above, will lead a keynote conversation with CSU-Fresno President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval.
This year’s gathering features employers spanning education, health care, local and state government, engineering, industry and manufacturing, insurance, renewables, robotics and more. Event sponsors include MKN & Associates, a civil engineering firm with multiple locations in California, Bakersfield Family Medical Group, and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), all of whom have job openings.
UC is organizing the summit as part of its commitment to providing lifelong support for its more than 2.5M alumni. It’s being held for the first time in the Central Valley in recognition that the region is home to more than 36,000 UC alumni but often lags behind urban and coastal regions in terms of job opportunities.
“Bringing together UC’s high-achieving graduates and some of California’s most desirable employers across a variety of sectors makes the HireUC summit a source of meaningful careers and connections for so many, especially our first-generation alumni,” said Patricia Châu Nguyễn, director of systemwide alumni engagement for the UC Office of the President and one of the event’s organizers. “We wanted to bring the energy and success of last year’s event in Riverside to one of California’s most vital regions.”
UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz (a proud UC Santa Barbara and UCLA alumnus) and Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, the president of California State University, Fresno (a triple UC Irvine alumnus) will provide a keynote conversation. Moderated by Derek Sabori, past president of the UC Irvine Alumni Association, the pair will share their inspiring journeys, explore the power of resilience, and discuss how pride in their UC roots fuels positive change in the Central Valley community.
Other workshops and discussions will focus on the unique opportunities of the region. A panel featuring current alumni Regent and San Joaquin native Brian Komoto will speak to the health care boom in the Central Valley and how to prepare for its most in-demand roles and emerging career pathways. Komoto has built his career by giving back to his home region; the small Delano pharmacy he and his wife Mary purchased at the start of their careers has grown into a hub for health care and community in the San Joaquin Valley, with six outpatient operations and over 150 employees.
Another panel, hosted by the UC Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association, will highlight public service careers. Speakers include UC Berkeley alumna Esperanza “Espe” Vilma, chief heat policy advisor for the Office of the Mayor of Stockton; state Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula; Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) senior manager of community engagement Fernanda Santiago Maxwell; and UC Santa Barbara alumna Veronica Garibay, co-founder of the Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability.
UC Merced alumni Linda Barreto B.A. ’08 and former student Regent and current Ph.D. student Josiah Beharry B.A. ’22 will discuss how they have crafted vital support structures — ranging from pro bono legal clinics to UC Student Regent advocacy and student pipeline programming — to foster belonging, equity and resilience in Central Valley and UC communities.
A fourth panel will highlight skill-building for the present-day economy, including how to use artificial intelligence to stand out.
Other professional opportunities await summit-goers as well, including free headshot photography. Alumni are also invited to a networking mixer at a UC alumni-owned winery, Toca Madera Winery, the evening before the event.
The summit is led by the UC Office of the President systemwide alumni engagement team in close partnership with UC Merced alumni relations and UCSF alumni relations, with involvement from each campus alumni association.
This is the 6th HireUC career summit organized by UCOP for alumni; past summits have been hosted in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, Riverside, and virtually.
Learn more about the events by visiting the HireUC career summit page and sign up to register for the summit and networking mixer below.
