The University of California is set to host the HireUC Alumni Career Summit on August 21 at the Fresno Convention Center. The event, free for UC alumni, will feature more than 50 employers from fields such as education, health care, government, engineering, manufacturing, insurance, renewables, and robotics. Organizers expect up to a thousand attendees from all 10 UC campuses.
Event sponsors include MKN & Associates, Bakersfield Family Medical Group, and Caltrans. Each sponsor currently has job openings available.
The summit aims to provide lifelong support for over 2.5 million UC alumni. This year marks the first time the event will be held in California’s Central Valley—a region with more than 36,000 UC alumni but fewer job opportunities compared to urban and coastal areas.
“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.”
A keynote conversation will be delivered by UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz and Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, president of California State University, Fresno. Both are UC alumni. Derek Sabori will moderate their discussion about resilience and how their backgrounds have influenced positive change in the Central Valley.
Panels at the summit will address regional career opportunities. One panel features Brian Komoto—an alumnus Regent—who expanded his Delano pharmacy into six outpatient operations employing over 150 people in San Joaquin Valley health care.
Another session hosted by the UC Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association focuses on public service careers with speakers including Esperanza “Espe” Vilma from Stockton’s mayoral office; state Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula; Fernanda Santiago Maxwell from HOPE; and Veronica Garibay from Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability.
UC Merced graduates Linda Barreto and Josiah Beharry will discuss support structures they have created—including legal clinics and advocacy programs—to promote equity within both Central Valley communities and at UC.
Additional programming includes panels on skill-building relevant to today’s economy such as using artificial intelligence professionally. Attendees can also access free headshot photography services during the summit.
A networking mixer at Toca Madera Winery—a local business owned by a UC alum—will take place prior to the main event.
The HireUC summit is organized by the University of California Office of the President with help from alumni relations teams at various campuses including UC Merced and UCSF. This marks the sixth occurrence of this career summit series previously held in cities like San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, Riverside as well as virtually.
