RISE is more than a conference—it’s a chance to level up your skills, build your network, and feel more prepared for what comes next.
Spend the afternoon connecting with business professionals, exploring career possibilities, and gaining real-world insights you can actually use. Through interactive sessions focused on career development, entrepreneurship, and leadership, you’ll gain practical tools to stand out, make meaningful connections, and take your next steps with greater confidence.
Plus, hear from Emmy Award-winning speaker and UVU alum Clint Pulver, who will bring his signature humor, energy, and real-world perspective to the RISE stage.
RISE is FREE and open to all students! Registration includes access to all conference sessions, a networking reception with delicious food, and a swag bag packed with goodies from our sponsors.
Can't attend the entire time?
No problem! Come for the sessions that work with your schedule. Whether you attend the full event with us or catch sessions in between classes, your next connection or big idea could be waiting at RISE.
Meet with speakers and other community professionals.
"What are you going to do after graduation?" This is one of the most frequently asked questions college students and recent graduates face — and one of the most anxiety-inducing. Unfortunately, studies show that a striking number of graduates leave college without a clear plan for what comes next.
This session is the one-stop-shop for helping college students and recent graduates get their life "on path" and "on purpose." Discover your passions, get specific on your goals, and identify your purpose as you step into the real world. Clint will reveal that the secret is learning how to live a life by design instead of by default — and that the choices made today plant the seed for tomorrow's career, relationships, and opportunities.
How to find jobs (and how jobs find you)
Nicki Joiner, HR & Finance Professional
The job search has changed—and knowing where to look is only part of the game. This session pulls back the curtain on how opportunities move from job posting to real person, including where you find the job, how quickly you apply, and how your proximity to the opportunity can affect your chances. Then, we’ll explore the other side of the modern job search: how 21st-century networking, relationships, reputation, and online visibility can help the right opportunities find you.
The Room Beats the Degree (and the Algorithm)
Matt Bryson, Co-Founder of Mezy
How to get into rooms you weren't born into. No last name, no trust fund, no problem: the room starts here. "Networking" gives most of us the "ick" — it sounds fake and like it's for people who already know people, right? So we send the applications instead. So does everyone else. But careers come from people, not portals or algorithms. You don't need a last name, trust fund, or rich uncle to win. You need a few real conversations, and a place to start. Winning requires authentic human connection. Learn the three C's to catapult your career before it starts.
Tips for the Emerging Entrepreneur
Rachel Sisneros, founder of Cozy Confidence
What if the best way to build a business is to stop thinking about what you can sell—and start thinking about who you can serve? Rachel will share how creating value, building genuine connections, and solving real problems can help you grow an audience of people who already know, like, and trust you before you ever have a product to offer. She’ll show how listening to the people you serve can lead you straight to the problems worth solving—and sometimes, the business worth building. Start with people. Solve their problem. Let the business follow.
Find Your Angle: Standing Out in Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Madison Marten, Co-founder of Mad Banana Marketing
While everyone else is looking for the escalator, this is your reminder to take the stairs. We'll examine what it takes to stand out in business, marketing, and entrepreneurship — drawing on Madison's path from blockchain studies to corporate consulting to running her own marketing agency. Attendees will leave knowing how to find a niche worth owning, build work through referrals instead of connections, and do the things nobody else wants to do.
Your Network Is Your Net Worth
Lindsey Lewis, Certified Financial Planner™ and Managing Director at the American College Center
for Women in Financial Services
Your career is shaped not only by what you know, but by the relationships you build along the way. In this interactive session, you’ll learn how to intentionally grow your network, make meaningful professional connections, and build relationships that can open doors throughout your career. You’ll leave with practical strategies for networking authentically, finding mentors and sponsors, and making a memorable impression, even if networking doesn’t come naturally to you.
Overlooked and Underestimated: Building Woman-Owned Companies with AI in the Industries
Nobody Wants
Esther Jackson-Stowell, CEO of Ekot Group
Nobody dreams of starting a cleaning company. That is exactly why Esther Jackson-Stowell built one, and then built the software that runs it. The Nigerian-born founder and CEO of Ekot Group, host of The Broker's Table podcast, and contributing author of The Not-So-Secret Lives of Real Mormon Wives took two industries most people ignore, real estate and residential cleaning, and turned them into a woman-owned portfolio by refusing to run them the old way. She will show how Wasatch Cleaners replaced clipboards, phone tag, and guesswork with a fully automated, AI-driven operating system, and how that same system became its own products: Tidumo, software for home-service businesses, and Akovex, an AI operations platform for multi-brand operators. Her point for you: a small, bold team can now out-operate institutions with decades of a head start, and you do not need permission, a perfect resume, or a glamorous industry to begin. If you have ever felt overlooked or underestimated, this session is for you.
