Past Events

Find recaps of past events here

Fireside Chat/Q&A with Sarah Clatterbuck

Tuesday November 4th 

On November 4th, the Tech Partnerships Initiative hosted our inaugural event, a Fireside Chat/Q&A with Sarah Clatterbuck. Sarah, the Senior Director of Engineering at Youtube, gave our students a unique opportunity to connect and chat with a seasoned industry professional (and USF alumna)! She shared lots of valuable insights to students, faculty, and staff about the current job market in tech, interview strategies, and more.

Determination, a willingness to learn, and goal-setting were among some of Sarah's top recommendations for both career and personal development. She also highlighted the importance of curiosity when looking for jobs, saying "no matter what stage you are in your career, curiosity is important."  

When it comes to interviewing for a position, Sarah highlights honestly and candor as a valuable qualities. She shared a story in which an interviewer asked her about a program she was not familiar with but her honesty in saying she was not familiar with it opened an interesting conversation with the interviewer regarding problem solving and creative thinking. She emphasizes that the interviewers want to see how you think and what your thought process looks like.

We were so excited to have Sarah join us for this event! Please stay tuned for other Tech Partnership events in the future to get a chance to connect with other awesome industry professionals like Sarah. 

Tapia Conference 

September 9 - 13

In September, we were able to send a group of students to the Tapia Conference in Dallas, Texas. Tapia is a celebration of diversity in computing, and our students had the opportunity to network with a variety of organizations and grow as professionals.

One of the students in attendance, Caterina Ponti, credits her experience at Tapia for her strengthened ability to communicate experiences and future goals effectively to others, in addition to building her confidence to navigate the next steps of her academic journey.

The students also got to have some fun attending events with possible employers and connections. Student Bhavi Kenia remembers one of her favorite memories from the conference, when she was invited to join Capital One at their social and networking event. She shared, "It wasn’t just about handing out resumes or making professional connections; it was about genuinely connecting with their team in a more relaxed and fun environment. We bowled, played laser tag, and enjoyed arcade games together, and it honestly felt like I was getting a real sense of the company culture."

We are so glad that our students had the opportunity to participate in this event and are excited to see how these experiences will continue to shape their journeys.