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| April 2026 | Career Center |
Listen to a 5-minute Audio Overview of this Newsletter Dear Colleagues — This spring break, the Career Center hosted the 2nd Annual Bay Area A.I. Industry Immersion, taking 25 students on eight company visits across four whirlwind days. It was an impressive demonstration of the awesome power of the Santa Clara network! Throughout the immersion, students had the opportunity to meet, learn from and network with more than 60 employees at Google, SAP, Nutanix, LinkedIn, HP, Western Digital (WD), Intuitive, and KLA. This immersion was funded by a grant from the Regents Experiential Learning Initiative (RELI). A special thank you to Toby O'Brien '93 and Kori O'Brien '96, JD '07 for generously opening up their home for the closing networking mixer, and to the many, many alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the university who made this immersion possible.
All photos by Elaine Zhang '27 except bottom left. Here's what students are saying about the immersion: "What I found most valuable was being able to visit companies that are hidden gems and use AI in the workplace just as good as, if not better than, the big name companies and I liked being able to meet different kinds of SCU alumni as it opened my eyes to how strong the professional network of SCU is. I also liked that the companies we visited were all around the South Bay and not just grouped into one city." 👍 "Overall, I definitely got what I wanted out of the program. I visited companies, learned a lot about their progression in AI, careers in AI, networking with individuals, but the most valuable experience, which was also what I didn't expect, was knowing how strong the network is. Alumni, Career Center, faculty, and people of various majors that I'd never possibly meet!" 👍 "I found the connections I made through the AI Immersion Program incredibly valuable, not only with industry professionals and employees at companies I aspire to join, but also with my peers. The advice and insights shared in both small group conversations and larger panels were especially meaningful, and I know they will stay with me as I continue to grow in my career. It was also inspiring to connect with alumni, whose willingness to support fellow Broncos truly reflects the strength of the SCU community and its sense of Bronco pride." 👍 "What I found most valuable about this experience was honestly meeting people that were completely different than me in regards to what they were studying at SCU within the immersion cohort. It was enjoyable hearing the perspectives of engineers and other majors on how they view AI as well as their career paths." 👍 Congratulations to Colleen Withers, Director of Career Development and Campus Integration and staff lead for this event, for your thoughtful planning and execution and coordinating the involvement of so many different stakeholders including students, companies, alumni, members of the Board of Regents, and faculty and staff. From idea to execution, you curated an unforgettable set of experiences that exceeded all expectations! Curious to learn more about Industry Immersions? Email Colleen Withers at cwithers@scu.edu. As always, I look forward to working together to deliver on the promise of higher education for all of our students: a good job, social capital, and economic mobility in pursuit of a more humane, just and sustainable world.
◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ This Thursday: Spring Career Fair for All Majors and All Class YearsEncourage your students to participate in the final large-scale recruitment event of the 25-26 academic year! SPRING CAREER FAIR
Students will have an opportunity to meet and network with 50+ companies and organizations such as A10 Networks, City of Santa Clara, OpenGov and many more! Please encourage your students to attend. They can register on Handshake. Questions about the Spring Career Fair? Email Melissa Thiriez at mthiriez@scu.edu. ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ Free Access to LinkedIn Learning: 4 Resources You Need to KnowDid you know that every Santa Clara student, staff and faculty member gets free access to LinkedIn Learning? Through LinkedIn Learning, you can access thousands of expert-led, on-demand video courses on nearly any topic or discipline you can imagine. Below are four critical resources that every staff and faculty member needs to know about LinkedIn Learning 👇
1. Campus Explorer — Each role on campus has different use cases for LinkedIn Learning. Whether you're teaching in the classroom or working in the library, IT, student affairs, or inclusive excellence, use Campus Explorer to find resources and trainings specific to your role. 2. Curriculum Explorer and LinkedLearning by Major — LinkedIn Learning offers thousands of courses that augment classroom learning, from the arts to engineering to healthcare. Use Curriculum Explorer and By Major to find courses specific to your discipline. 3. AI Upskilling Framework — Demystify AI and build critical AI/Gen AI skills with learning content mapped to this AI Upskilling Framework. (View the 1-page version.) 4. Customize Your Own Content Map — Want LinkedIn to help you identify and curate a "playlist" of courses specific to your discipline or learning interest? Request your own custom content map, then share it with peers and students! We are very fortunate that Santa Clara's customer success manager is none other than Ivana Pham, a Class of 2019 Bronco! Questions about LinkedIn Learning? Email Dylan Houle at dhoule@scu.edu. ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ Student Spotlight: Kabir Bindra '28
Kabir Bindra '28 is a Finance major who will be joining Aeris Partners this summer as an Analyst after having participated in the investment banking firm's on-campus interviews hosted by the Career Center. We invited Kabir to share his reflections for our Student Spotlight series. What advice would you give to students who may be curious or nervous about using the Career Center? The Career Center has lots of experience working with students – they will give the most accurate and descriptive advice you can find. How has the Career Center helped you achieve your career goals? I remember going to a resume workshop my freshman year and through that, I learned how to write my points in a way that was more descriptive of my experiences. Kabir, thank you for sharing your story and congratulations on your summer internship! ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ Student Spotlight: Sarah Anjum
Sarah Anjum is a doctoral candidate in the Computer Science and Engineering program. She has been working closely with Myriam Bartz on her networking strategy, and we invited her to share her reflections for our Student Spotlight series. What advice would you give to students who may be curious or nervous about using the Career Center? View the Career Center as a place to learn the 'unwritten rules' of networking. For graduate and PhD students, it's easy to focus only on your research, but Myriam showed me how to translate that research into professional outreach that gets noticed by senior recruiters. My advice is to go in early—even if you don't have a specific job in mind—to build your 'toolkit.' Once you have a professional resume and the communication skills to talk to recruiters, the job search feels much more within your control.. How has the Career Center helped you achieve your career goals? The Career Center, specifically my coaching sessions with Myriam Bartz, provided the strategic foundation for my internship search. Myriam helped me meticulously refine my resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect my technical depth as a CS PhD student. Beyond the documents, she taught me the critical skill of building professional communications with senior recruiters at big tech firms on LinkedIn. She also introduced me to Jobscan for resume ATS testing and Bronco Exchange to begin building my professional community. These skills gave me the confidence to now independently execute a direct-outreach strategy to senior R&D and AI recruiters at global pharmaceutical and tech firms. Sarah, kudos to you for leveraging the resources of the Career Center to help you accomplish your career goals! ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ Career Center and Education Department Co-Host Zero-Round Interviews with Five Local School Districts
What are Zero Round Interviews? Zero Round Interviews are a cross between a formal interview and an informal career conversation. Sometimes described as a "vibe check", they allow the student to learn more about the organization before applying while the organization gets to identify promising talent to look out for. Thank you to Dr. Kathy Sun, Dr. Melina Johnson and Julie Jennings for your collaboration! Questions about Zero Round Interviews? Email Dylan Houle at dhoule@scu.edu. ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ Welcoming Brooke MenesiniThe Career Center is pleased to announce that Brooke Menesini has joined our team as the Assistant Director of Employer Relations - Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Her first day is Monday, April 6.
In this role, she will work closely and primarily with employers seeking to engage with and recruit students from the College of Arts and Sciences. She will report to Melissa Thiriez, Director of Employer Relations and Partnerships. Brooke comes to Santa Clara University with a diverse background in various industries, including serving as a senior account executive with Stanford Athletics and as a manager of the San Jose Earthquakes' Quakes University program. She is passionate about bridging the gap between students and the workforce with knowledge of building relationships, training new hires, and community engagement. She graduated with an MBA from Western Governors University and a BS in Sports Management and Marketing from Menlo College. She is excited to join the Career Center team and support students in their career exploration. As we welcome Brooke, I want to take this opportunity to thank Melissa Thiriez, for leading the search process. I also want to thank those that participated in the search process and the Career Center staff. For all of the time and energy invested in this process, I am very grateful. Please feel free to send Brooke a note of welcome and congratulations at bmenesini@scu.edu. ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ Noël Kreidler Wins Inaugural Champion of CARE AwardThe Career Center is proud to share that Noël Kreidler, Associate Director of Career Development, has been recognized with an inaugural Champion of CARE award (Compassionate And Responsive Educators) by the Dean of Students Office.
The Champion of CARE award honors staff, faculty, and students who demonstrate exceptional compassion, attentiveness, and responsiveness in supporting student well-being. This recognition highlights individuals who serve as trusted points of connection for students in need: those who notice when a student is struggling, take the time to check in, and help ensure students are connected to the appropriate campus resources. Noël, congratulations on this well-deserved recognition! ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ Career News and Hot Topics From Around the Web
Entry-level hiring is tougher than ever. How universities are adapting.World Economic Forum Workforce Outlook: The Class of 2026 in the AI EconomyHandshake How UConn Transforms Student Employment with Work+The Career Everywhere Podcast by uConnect Jobs That New College Grads Are and Are Not LandingThe Indicator from Planet Money ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ Not just the Career Center... your Career Center! Questions, concerns, ideas, suggestions?
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