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Students gather for PG&E leadership development conference More than 120 MESA students from community colleges and four-year universities gathered at the San Ramon Valley Conference Center last October 20–21 for the 2006 MESA Student Leadership Development Conference sponsored by PG&E and MESA. Under the theme “Bridging the Gap Through Empowerment,” the conference provided professional development opportunities to engineering and computer science students with leadership potential. In 2005, PG&E committed to underwrite three MESA student leadership conferences through 2008. This generous commitment has allowed MESA to draw in other interested industry partners to this unique event for students. “Our collaboration with MESA serves as an industry-education model,” stated Steve Leder, PG&E Diversity Director. “It ensures an improved quality of education for California’s diverse student community, and it expands the pool of talent from which PG&E can draw.” Forty volunteers from PG&E, IBM, AT&T and FedEx facilitated workshops to prepare the students for the transition from college to employment in engineering and technology careers. The workshops included sessions on resume development, transferring from a community college to a four-year university, job interview tips, job search skills, team building, strategic communications, and what it takes to be a leader in business. The students were also treated to an Industry Network Dinner and were addressed by PG&E executives. Madeleine Fish, the MESA Center Director at CSU Sacramento, brought eight freshmen and one sophomore to the conference. “This is the first professional level conference that they’ve ever been to,” she remarked. “Being here tells them that industry wants them to complete their degrees. They are treated very professionally and they get the sense of what skills industry thinks are valuable for success.”“I liked the project management workshop the best because it was hands-on, not just a lecture,” explained Doshia Caradine, a freshman from CSU Fresno. More than 80 students from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, CSU Chico, CSU Fresno, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Sacramento State University, San Jose State University and San Francisco State University attended the conference. Another 40 students came from 12 community colleges—San Joaquin Delta College, Napa Valley College, Sacramento City College, American River College, Canada College, Cabrillo College, Solano Community College, Skyline College, Yuba Community College, Cosumnes River College, Gavilan College and Mission College.
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