Last week, the University of Florida’s 9th Annual Faculty & Staff Career Symposium brought together colleagues from across campus to reflect, connect, and collaborate around a shared goal: supporting Gators as they prepare for meaningful work, citizenship, and life.
The symposium welcomed 121 attendees representing 24 distinct colleges and administrative units, underscoring the breadth of commitment across UF to student career readiness and experiential learning. Participants included faculty, staff, and students, with staff making up the largest group, followed by faculty and student attendees—a powerful reminder that student success is most effective when supported by a robust campus ecosystem.
Throughout the day, presenters and panelists shared best practices, emerging ideas, and practical strategies focused on experiential learning, partnerships, and the thoughtful use of technology—including artificial intelligence—as a tool to enhance student learning and career preparation From on‑campus employment and internships to classroom innovation and cross‑disciplinary collaboration, sessions emphasized how small, intentional actions can scale into meaningful institutional impact.
Celebrating Success: 2026 Career Influencer Award Nominees & Recipients
The University of Florida Career Influencer Awards celebrate individuals, organizations, and programs that go above and beyond to support student career development, experiential learning, and workforce readiness. This year, we recognized 63 nominees whose work reflects the depth and strength of UF’s career ecosystem.
Nominees
- Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Florida
- Education Equalizer Foundation
- Michelin North America
- Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance
- Arthrex
- L3Harris
- Siemens
🏆 2026 Recipient: Arthrex
Nominees
- Dr. Diego Pascual y Cabo
- Dr. Jose Valentino Ruiz
- Dr. Elizabeth Gadsby
- Dr. Jessica Huston
- Dr. Heather Young
- Dr. Paola Uparela
- Dr. Brent Summerlin
- Dr. Katy Chapman
- Dr. Matthew Traum
- Dr. Brian Cahill
- Dr. Yujie Hu
- Dr. Mengyu Li
- Dr. Mostafa Reisi Gahrooei
- Dr. Glen Billesbach
- Dr. Cindy Dosch
- Bahar Armaghani
- Dr. Joanna Neville
- Dr. Sharon DiFino
- Dr. Onur Erol
- Tate Quiñones
- Ashish Aggarwal
🏆 2026 Recipients
- Dr. Matthew Traum
- Dr. Glen Billesbach
Nominees
- Amber Bollinger
- Kennedy Struck
- Ronald Trygar
- Brittany Honeycutt
- Jawaun McClam
- Kexuan Wu
- Johannes Traster
- Jenna McLaughlin
- Justin Marlin
- Edwina Hurst
- Tania Fleming
🏆 2026 Recipients
- Justin Marlin
- Johannes Traster
Nominees
- UF Alumni Association
- Graduation Survey Workgroup
- Clarissa Cheung
🏆 2026 Recipient: UF Alumni Association
Nominees
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Ambassadors
- Psychology Club
- Hough Graduate Career and Peer Mentors Program
- Data Science and Informatics
- Engineering Leadership Circle
- Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers
- Florida Engineering Society
- Society of Women Engineers
🏆 2026 Recipients
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
- Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE)
Nominees
- Spanish Heritage Language Research Lab
- LeadUF
- Department of Health Education and Behavior
- UF in Lille: Engineering and Arts
- History of Statistics Study Abroad Program
- Investigative Internship at the Federal Defender’s Office
- Gator Ready Ambassadors
- New Student and Family Programs – Preview Staffer Program
🏆 2026 Recipients
- Gator Ready Ambassadors
- Department of Health Education and Behavior
Nominees
- SPN 3036: Spanish for Healthcare Professionals
- UF MAE Capstone
- UF Warrington College of Business
- Beyond120
🏆 2026 Recipient: Beyond120
Thank You to Our Career Influencers
We extend our sincere gratitude to all nominees and recipients for their leadership, innovation, and commitment to student success. Your work strengthens UF’s career ecosystem and helps students transform learning into opportunity.
Continuing the Conversation
The symposium was designed not as a conclusion, but as a starting point. To keep the momentum going, faculty and staff are invited to engage with UF’s newly launched Faculty & Staff Community on CareerHub, a shared space to:
- Access career‑readiness resources
- Discover experiential learning opportunities
- Share practices and ideas across disciplines
- Build new partnerships in support of students
Faculty and staff are also encouraged to connect directly with the Academic Integration team to explore ways to embed career development, experiential learning, and skill‑building into academic and co‑curricular spaces.
- Connect with Dominic, Assistant Director for Academic Integration
- Connect with Jason, Manager for Academic Integration
Together, the energy, insights, and participation reflected at this year’s symposium reaffirm an important truth: preparing students for the future is collective work—and when we align our efforts, the impact is greater for every Gator we serve.
