Trouble viewing this email? Read it online.

November 2026

Dear Colleagues —

The Career Center is gearing up to produce the 10th Annual Authentic Connections: Student Showcase & Awards (previously known as Diversity Works Expo & Awards) event on Thursday, February 11, 2027 from 4-7 p.m. in the Locatelli Student Event Center.

Nominate a Student or Student Org »

We invite staff and faculty to nominate students and student organizations who you feel have demonstrated an understanding of why diversity, equity and inclusion are important, particularly as it relates to career and professional development.

Nominating is simple: all you need to do is provide the student's name and email address; then, they will be notified that you have nominated them and they will be invited to complete an awards submission.

The deadline for students to complete the awards submission is Sunday, November 22.

Ten students will each be recognized and awarded $500 and up to five student organizations will be recognized and awarded $1,000 thanks to the generous sponsorship of Enterprise Holdings, Inc.

Questions about Authentic Connections: Student Showcase & Awards? Email Melissa Thiriez at mthiriez@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.

DYLAN HOULE

Executive Director, Career & Professional Development
Career Center, Santa Clara University

◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾

Share Your Feedback on the Career Center

The Career Center is currently engaged in Program Review. Program Review is a comprehensive evaluation that occurs every 7-10 years. This is an opportunity for the university community—you!—to provide feedback on our programs and services, which includes 1:1 career coaching, events and programs, and a wide variety of resources.

TAKE THE SURVEY

The survey is anonymous and consists of just a few simple questions. Please share your honest and candid feedback. Your opinion matters!

Questions about the Career Center's Program Review? Email Dylan Houle at dhoule@scu.edu.

◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾

Student Spotlights: Graciela Diaz and Liam Abbate

Graciela Diaz headshot and quote

What advice would you give to students about using the Career Center?

"Even if your resume is in its first draft version or you don't know exactly what you want to do yet, just show up. The Career Center staff met me where I was, and I never felt judged about how unpolished my starting point looked. That one resume review I attended as a first-year student felt small at the time, but it created a ripple effect that led to opportunities changing the direction of my life. ... You never know which single conversation might end up changing the entire direction of your college experience."

— Graciela Diaz '27
Psychology

Liam Abbate headshots and quote

How has the Career Center helped you achieve your career goals?

"In college, I used the Career Center's Job Prep Toolkit a lot. In 2026, I attended a career coaching session that included a mock interview helped me be more confident in subsequent job interviews. This included 2 interviews that led me to my current position in municipal government. [The Career Center's] feedback and pointers for interviews contributed to me impressing the hiring committee that interviewed me so much they're still talking about it 3 months later!"

— Liam Abbate '21
Political Science

◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾

1000+ Students Attend Fall Career Fairs

This fall, the Career Center hosted four career fairs: the BASH Fair, the Finance Fair, the STEM Fair, and the Graduate School Fair. More than 1,000 students came out to meet and network with 100+ companies, organizations and schools.

Photos from BASH career fair

⬆️ BASH Career Fair | STEM Career Fair ⬇️

Photos from STEM career fair

Our next fairs will be the Winter Internship Fair on Wednesday, February 3 and the Spring Career Fair on Thursday, April 15.

Do you know a company or organization that would like to participate? Please refer them to Melissa Thiriez, Director of Employer Relations, at mthiriez@scu.edu.

◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾

John Nicoletti '03, VP @ Google, Shares Insights with Students

On Thursday, October 29, John Nicoletti '03, VP, Americas @ Google Customer Solutions, returned to campus to give an executive talk on navigating a non-linear career path.

His talk outlined four core strategies for professional success: determining personal filters, choosing roles with both head and heart, working hard with humility, and staying authentic while building meaningful relationships. He also shared his perspective on the rise of AI with both consumers and in the workplace, along with considerations for the workforce.

John Nicoletti photo collage

Thank you, John, for sharing your wisdom and donating your time!

◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾

Announcing the Handshake AI Skills Studio

A free AI skill-building resource for students from Handshake

Many of your students may be wondering if they’re prepared to land a job or internship, and that anxiety increasingly centers on AI. They’re unsure what skills they should focus on building to stand out to employers. Handshake, the platform students already use at Santa Clara to find jobs and internships, just launched a free resource to help.

Handshake’s AI Skills Studio helps students develop the AI skills employers are hiring for through missions where they build a real, working project, not just watch videos. We'd love your help getting it in front of students.

Share this link with your students →

https://app.joinhandshake.com/learn

A few things that make AI Skills Studio stand out:

Employer-backed. Missions are co-designed with top employers and AI labs, so the skills students build map to what hiring managers are looking for.
Build something real. Missions take less than an hour and end with a real project that students can show employers.
Visible where hiring happens. Finished projects and skill badges go straight to students' Handshake profiles, where recruiters can see them.

How you can help:

Mention it in class or advising conversations, especially with students unsure where to start.
Drop the link in your department newsletter.
Point students toward it when they ask how to strengthen their Handshake profile.

Questions? Email Dylan Houle at dhoule@scu.edu.

◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾

Need Professional Headshots at Your Next Event? Rent Popcam!

The Career Center is excited to announce that beginning this fall we will be offering student organizations and campus departments the ability to rent our Popcam mobile headshot and group photo kiosk. Satisfied customers include the School of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

RESERVE POPCAM FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT

Popcam offers instant, self-serve headshots and/or group photos for groups, events, and teams. Photos can be branded with specific logos and/or text.

What is Popcam?

Popcam is a portable headshot kiosk that delivers professional, on-brand results in seconds—no photographer required. (Visit website to learn more.)

Perfect for:

Professional headshots for faculty, staff, teams, student leaders, athletes, etc.
CSO/RSO events and RLC events
Group photobooth for networking and community events
Celebratory events such as retirements, holidays, and other parties

Questions about renting Popcam? Email Dylan Houle at dhoule@scu.edu.

◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾ ◾

Career Center Participates in Inaugural Stevens School of Medicine Retreat

On Wednesday, October 28, Dylan Houle represented the Career Center as part of the inaugural Stevens School of Medicine Retreat, featuring leaders from across Santa Clara and Sutter Health. The Career Center is participating in the Student Affairs committee.

Group photo of School of Medicine retreat attendees