Celebrating the 2024 GitHub All In for Students graduates
25 May 2024 (4 months ago)
Introduction- Sarah Oyetubo
- GitHub's All-In for Students program has grown from 30 students in 2021 to 858 learners in 2024.
- The program has expanded to include hackathons with Major League Hacking and online learning resources on GitHub's YouTube channel.
- Graduates have shown a commitment to learning, collaboration, and innovation.
Welcome Remarks - Paris Griffin
- The All-In for Students graduation ceremony celebrates the graduates and provides an overview of the program.
Program Timeline and Overview - Paris Griffin
- The program timeline includes:
- Applications opening in October with over 170 participants from 70+ schools.
- Hackathons in October, November, and December with over 344, 500, and 600 registrants respectively.
- Career Readiness workshops and mock interviews.
- The program had 173 participants from across the US and 73 schools, with 31 total graduates.
- The ambassador pilot program was introduced to provide students with leadership opportunities and to help grow the All-In community.
- Ambassadors led workshops, organized events, and mentored other students.
- The program was successful and will be expanded in the future.
- All-In students participated in three hackathons throughout the program.
- The hackathons provided students with opportunities to apply their skills, collaborate with others, and build innovative projects.
- Students built projects on a variety of topics, including social justice, healthcare, and education.
- The program offered a variety of career readiness workshops and events to help students prepare for their careers.
- Workshops covered topics such as resume writing, interviewing, and networking.
- Students also had the opportunity to connect with Fidelity Investments for internship opportunities and to participate in mock interviews with GitHub employees.
- All-In students attended GitHub Universe, GitHub's annual conference, in December.
- Students had the opportunity to network with GitHub employees and other attendees, learn about the latest GitHub features, and attend workshops and talks.
- Paris Griffin thanked the graduates for their hard work and dedication, and encouraged them to continue to learn and grow.
- She also thanked the program partners and sponsors for their support.
Ambassador Pilot Program Overview - Paris Griffin
- Launched the inaugural All-In for Students Ambassador Pilot Program to provide peer mentorship and support to students.
- Selected four students from the inaugural cohort to serve as mentors and paired them with smaller cohorts of students.
- Mentors provided weekly support, answering questions about course material and open-source related topics.
- Ambassadors: Jerry Ortega, Kayla Parti, Kir Warner, and Bernard Zandonda.
Participant Feedback - Bernard Zandonda
- Bernard Zandonda, an ambassador and graduate of the OEN Pioneer Program in 2021, shared his experience.
- OEN program gave him the confidence and platform to apply his skills in the real world, leading to his current role as a software engineer at UBS Bank.
- Being an ambassador helped him grow by balancing his full-time job with mentoring students, improving his organization and time management skills.
- Inspired by the drive and enthusiasm of the students in the program.
- Advice to graduates: stay curious, maintain the connections developed in the program, and remember that networking is crucial for career success.
Partner Spotlight - Paris Griffin
- GitHub remains committed to developing the next generation of Open Source leaders through the All-in Pursuit program.
- Fidelity Investments has been a continuous participant in the program, hosting hackathons, serving on career panels, and providing internship opportunities.
- MLH (Major League Hacking) provided infrastructure and resources for coding and career preparation workshops.
- Cisco provided funding to present students with resources and opportunities, allowing the program to expand its offerings.
- One Refugee, a new partner, supports college students with refugee backgrounds in Utah and Idaho, expanding the program's reach to those seeking accessibility and resources in the open-source community.
Participant Feedback - Ashley Hendrata
- Ashley Hendrata, a graduating student and aspiring software engineer, shares her experience in the program.
- The All-in Open Source program helped her stay accountable and consistent with hackathons and modules spread across several months.
- Attending an interactive workshop about interviews helped her gain confidence and ultimately receive an offer from Fidelity Investments, a GitHub open-source partner.
- Ashley emphasizes that the program is what you make of it, and investing time in learning about open source and embracing workshops can be an empowering experience.
Fireside Chat - Joshua Ndon (Fidelity Investments), Melissa Thomas (GitHub), Raymond Burton (One Refugee)
- GitHub's All In for Students program celebrated its 2024 graduates with a panel discussion featuring representatives from GitHub, One Refugee, and Fidelity Investments.
- Melissa Thomas from GitHub, Raymond Burton from One Refugee, and Joshua Enden from Fidelity Investments shared advice on lifelong learning, passion, mentorship, humility, courage, and perseverance.
- Students emphasized the importance of focus, curiosity, and learning from every experience, while employers value perseverance, skills, experiences, and networking.
- Creative solutions are needed to address barriers faced by students from refugee and immigrant backgrounds, such as being primary breadwinners, having English as a second language, and balancing school, work, and family responsibilities.
- The GitHub All In for Students program, in partnership with Fidelity, provides creative solutions to help students gain the experiences they need to move forward and be successful.
- Students were encouraged to set high goals, create habits that support their goals, and remember that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.
- The program focuses on personal growth, self-belief, confidence, and joy for the students.
- The panelists and moderators provided valuable insights and encouragement to the students, helping them gain the confidence they need to succeed in open source and the technology industry.
Participant Feedback - Danyal Ejaz
- Danyal Ejaz is a student at the University of the People pursuing a degree in Computer Science, expecting to graduate in 2025.
- He describes his journey in the All-In program as enriching, with each step being a learning adventure.
- He particularly enjoyed contributing to open-source projects and participating in hackathons, which not only enhanced his technical skills but also fostered collaboration and innovation within the community.
- He found the All-In community on Slack to be amazing, with program managers being helpful and responsive to queries.
- He also participated in development sessions, which provided valuable insights and practical knowledge that contributed to his growth as a student and aspiring developer.
Graduation Walk
- The graduation walk is presented, celebrating the achievements of the graduates who have completed the All-In program.
Award Presentation - Various
- The presentation of awards recognizes students who have gone above and beyond during the 2024 All-In for Students cohorts.
- Open Source Pioneer Award: Casey Charleston is recognized for leading or contributing to building an open-source community by leveraging skills from All-In.
- Most Inquisitive Learner Award: So Balon is recognized for being unafraid to ask questions, share progress, and seek help.
- Participant Who Strives for Success Award: So Mo is recognized for their dedication, commitment to learning, and resilience in overcoming obstacles to reach the finish line.
- All-In Award: Ashley Hrada is recognized for demonstrating a commitment to taking advantage of all available resources and strategically applying them to show they are "All-In" for All-In.
Farewell Remarks - Gerard McMahon (Fidelity Investments)
- The GitHub All In for Students program has concluded, and the award winners are recognized for their participation.
- Fidelity Investments' Jer McMahan congratulates the graduates and stresses the significance of making STEM careers more accessible.
- McMahan emphasizes the value of diversity and uniqueness in the workplace, encouraging students to contribute their skills, personalities, and ideas to their future organizations.
- He recommends learning through hands-on experiences and watching videos, as these methods have higher retention rates compared to reading alone.
- The GitHub All In for Students program offers students free access to GitHub's platform, tools, and capabilities, promoting learning by doing and experimentation.
- The program features an alumni network that connects students with previous participants for mentorship and guidance.
- Graduates are encouraged to contribute to the program by sharing their experiences and inspiring future students.
- Companies like Fidelity seek self-motivated, independent, and collaborative individuals with a strong portfolio of real-world projects.
- Internship opportunities are available, and students are advised to start searching early due to rolling admissions at many companies.
- The speaker congratulates the 2024 GitHub All In for Students graduates and welcomes them to the professional world.
- Graduates are encouraged to explore graduate programs, including Fidelity's LEAP program, which opens in August for 2025.
- The speaker emphasizes the importance of gaining experience through internships or graduate programs before seeking full-time employment.
- Gratitude is expressed to the GitHub All In team, and the program's success is acknowledged.
- The speaker hopes to see more graduates join Fidelity next year and stresses the need to expand the talent pool in the industry.
Closing Remarks - Paris Griffin
- Thanked the graduates for their hard work and commitment to open source.
- Congratulated them on their achievements and encouraged them to continue contributing to the open-source community.
- Expressed hope that the program and its partners will help the graduates become leaders in the tech industry and change the world.