Empowering the technology workforce of tomorrow
What’s the best way to spend a weekend as a college student? What about investing in your own professional future? That’s what the participants of ¡Valle! Get Your Start in Tech! did as they embarked on a three-day career readiness journey this November. Hosted by the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and Banatao Institute (CITRIS) at UC Merced, this workshop combined practical and actionable learning to increase the accessibility of research experiences, graduate school, and tech careers to STEM students from California’s Central Valley.
Over the course of a weekend, 32 students from UC Merced and Merced College refined their resumes, explored pathways to graduate school, practiced a growth mindset, and learned about allyship and how to combat imposter syndrome. They practiced their coding skills with Google Earth Engine and a drone sensing challenge and heard about the career journeys of several professionals. The importance of networking was a common theme, and students developed and refined their elevator skills, putting them into action during a formal business dinner with University, Alumni and Industry mentors in downtown Merced. Throughout the weekend, participants also built their STEM community across majors, schools, and year by getting to know their peers. ¡Valle! activities were all designed to build the practical skills, confidence, and professional networks of students planning to launch careers in STEM fields.
Jasmine Salazar, a UC Merced student returning for her second !Valle!, shared her experience: “I first attended ¡Valle! as a junior in college, at a time when I felt I was entering the tech world ‘late.’ I had just declared my engineering major and worried I didn’t have enough experience. Receiving my acceptance to ¡Valle! changed everything. The program was genuinely transformational. It built my confidence, helped me feel like I belonged in professional spaces, and taught essential skills, from dining etiquette to understanding professional attire.” Her experience led her to secure an internship through CITRIS’ Workforce Innovation Program. “I’m excited to see how many more students will find their footing and flourish through this program.”
Featured speakers shared their pathways and advice throughout the weekend. Among the speakers was Linda Garcia, a two-time alumna of ¡Valle! and UC Merced class of ’24. Linda described her journey to a career as a software quality assurance engineer at NVIDIA. Inspired by their experiences at ¡Valle!, Linda and another ¡Valle! alum founded Hack the Path, a community organization focused on helping students and early-career students gain skills to help them land dream tech jobs.
Dr. Leigh Bernacchi, featured ¡Valle! speaker and Executive Director of VISTA F3, who was instrumental in developing the ¡Valle! Program with funding from Google, workshopped actions, values and professional narratives with the students. “Showing your personal values and ethics in your professional communications helps recruiters and hiring managers get to know you and distinguishes you from AI-generality.” She paraphrased her favorite Mary Oliver poem, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life,” and asked participants to share their dreams and goals when networking.
The program has benefited more than 200 students to date over its seven program years and will be expanding its reach in 2026 to a new location at UC Santa Cruz. ¡Valle! Get Your Start in Tech! Since its inception, the program has aimed to build a diverse talent pipeline for the tech industry while increasing students’ self-efficacy and sense of belonging in STEM fields. ¡Valle! was supported this year through funding from CITRIS’ Workforce Innovation Program. “After seven years, the ¡Valle! program has been shown to be totally transformational, not just in the skills and in the application materials, but in how students see themselves and picture themselves in the world and their careers,” said Dr. Bernacchi. If you would like to support a student to attend ¡Valle!, consider making a donation.
