Boy we had a time last week!

The Stacked Up Summit, held on January 19th and 20th, was a virtual event that brought together 1,277 Black and Latinx computer science students from universities across the United States. The summit aimed to connect these students with recruiters from top tech companies and help them land amazing job or internship opportunities.

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Actress, comedian, producer, and community organizer, Michelladonna, served as the summit host and welcomed attendees to the event. The first day of the summit featured a keynote speech by career coach Catalina Peña, who presented the idea of "hater vs. homey" to help students overcome self-doubt during the job-searching process.

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Throughout the first day, attendees participated in sessions such as Transitioning From College to the Tech Industry, led by Microsoft, Navigating Your Early Career as an Engineer, led by Datadog, Wellness Session & Networking, led by Sukhi, How to Career Plan Early, led by Morgan Stanley, and Managing Recruiting Timelines, Deadlines, & Exploding Offers, led by Jane Street. The day concluded with a virtual career fair where students could speak directly with company recruiters.

The second day of the summit included sessions such as Technical Behavioral Interviewing Best Practices, led by Zillow, Exploring AI Software Engineering, led by SambaNova, a wellness yoga session, led by Yaya Yoga, and Setting Technical Resumes up for Success, led by Bloomberg. The most exciting session of the day was the Fireside Chat with Managing Director: Technology and Entrepreneurship, led by ColorStack's CEO Jehron Petty and Managing Director of Y Combinator, Michael Seibel. In this session, the two leaders discussed the impact of recent tech layoffs, what AI means for the future, and how to create a startup. The summit wrapped up with another career fair opportunity.

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Durning the summit, attendees had the chance to win a variety of rewards. Students who participated the most won prizes, including algoexpert, compscilib, explain.dev, and food gift cards from goody site. The top 10 students that referred the Stacked Up Summit had the option to chose from prizes such as a license to AlgoExpert, a Leetcode Premium Subscription, a $200 Uber gift card, Beats Studio buds, an Apple TV, and more!

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The summit received positive feedback from attendees, with one student saying, "I enjoyed the platform and the diversity of the speakers." Another said, "The Career Fair was so fun and I loved the format of it with the virtual “booths” you could hop in and out of anytime." One student even said, "Please continue having these events. Black and brown people need these opportunities."

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Overall, the ColorStack Stacked Up Summit was a valuable and impactful event that provided Black and Latinx computer science students with the opportunity to connect with top tech companies and learn valuable career skills. ColorStack plans to hold another summit in the fall. Be sure to follow ColorStack on LinkedIn and Instagram for event announcements throughout the year.