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Program Schedule

Grow Your Career Conference

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Morning

TimeLocationEvent
8:00 to 9:00 a.m. Atrium 

Arrival and Check-in 

Please join us in the atrium to check in and enjoy a continental breakfast. You will also be asked to sign up for your professional profile photo session and resumé critique session at this time.  

9:00 to 9:30 a.m. Event Centre ABCWelcome Remarks and Elder Blessing
9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Event Centre ABC 

Morning Keynote 

Navigating Your Career: From Uncertainty to Fulfilment 

Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett, BA’97, MSc’99, PhD’05 

Join Dr. Laura to learn about the keys to navigating your career, starting with knowing yourself and building career resiliency. 

10:30 to 10:45 a.m.  Travel/Break 
10:45 a.m. to 12 p.m.  

Concurrent Morning Sessions 

Please choose to attend one of the following. 

 Event Centre ABC

Unlocking the Hidden Job Market   

Adam Czarnecki, BA’00 

Hear Adam’s personal journey of doing away with traditional, but ineffective means of securing job opportunities and finding success with strategies such as networking, temporary work agencies, volunteering and community engagement.   

 Room 416 

Servant Leadership 

Karen Gallagher-Burt, MSW’13, BSW’08 

Learn more about this positive leadership style which focuses on the well-being of employees while nurturing collaboration, trust and empathy. 

 Room 426

Developing Self-Empowerment at Work 

Liliana Gonzalez, BSc’12, MC’21 

Learn how to build and assert your confidence, as well as how to effectively navigate your work environment. 

Afternoon

TimeLocationEvent
12:00 to 1 p.m. Event Centre ABC 

Lunch and Networking  

Be sure to have a look at the signs on each table and sit according to your current industry or an industry you’d like to learn more about!  

1 to 2 p.m. Event Centre ABC 

Afternoon Keynote: Creating the Conditions for Success 

Erica Wiebe, BKin'12, BA'16 

Join this Olympic gold medallist for an interactive session exploring what's required to create the conditions for success within yourself and the teams that you lead.       

2 to 2:15 p.m.  Travel/Break 
2:15 to 3:00 p.m.  

Concurrent Afternoon Sessions A 

Please choose to attend one of the following.

 Room 218 

Leveraging a Career Framework in Later Career 

Andrea Christensen, BEd’99 

Explore how to build a flexible "career framework," turning your skills and networks into exciting post-retirement opportunities.    

 Room 430

Unpacking your CliftonStrengths 

Matthew Geddes, BSc’82, BSc’88, MEd’92 

Explore your CliftonStrengths assessment results towards career success.   

3:00 to 3:15 p.m.  Break 
3:15 to 4 p.m. 

Concurrent Afternoon Sessions B 

Please choose to attend one of the following.

 Event Centre ABC

Networking for Everyone! 

Jessica Zutz, BA'12, BSc'12 

Learn how to make genuine connections instead of just checking off that box on your “successful career” to-do list.    

 Room 430

Design Your Career Journey 

Victoria Hirsche, BA’16, MEd’22 

Explore new possibilities using design-thinking and brainstorming tools to uncover meaningful career paths and test your ideas for a future that excites you. 

4 to 4:15 p.m. Event Centre ABC Closing Remarks & Door Prizes

Drop-in Opportunities

Best Face Forward: Professional Profile Photos (Room 220) 

  • 8 to 9 a.m. 
  • 12 to 12:50 p.m. 
  • 2:10 to 4 p.m. 

Stop by our photo room for a short session with a professional photographer. Sign-up sheets will be available at the conference check-in desk, so don’t forget to pick your spot early!  

Resumé Critiques (Room 234) 

  • 2:10 to 4 p.m. 

Bring your resumé directly to a career professional for a 10-minute session so they can provide feedback specific to your experience, needs and goals. Sign-up sheets will be available at the conference check-in desk, so don’t forget to pick your spot early! 

Vendor Tables (Second Floor Landing) 

  • 12 to 4 p.m. 

Explore UCalgary and local career resources and organizations! 

Vendors will include:  


Tag Us on Social 

Don’t forget to follow and tag us in your favourite moments from the conference! Be sure to include #UCalgaryGYCC24 in your posts.  

Instagram: @ucalgaryalumni 

Twitter/X: @ucalgaryalumni 

 

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Thank You!

Thank you for attending the annual Grow Your Career Conference. For more information on alumni benefits, programs, alumni-built businesses and ways to get involved with the UCalgary Alumni Association, please visit our website