Launch Your Career in Responsible Tech: Empowering the Next Generation of Social Entrepreneurs
By Abby Fergus, GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellow, All Tech Is Human
April 14, 2025 | The New York Institute of Technology recently hosted Launch Your Career in Responsible Tech, a free, ATIHx event designed to provide NYC-area undergraduates with the skills and connections to land a job, this time with a particular focus on social entrepreneurship.
Held at New York Tech’s Columbus Circle campus, the event provided students with a variety of sessions all centered around giving them the tools they would need to start a career in social enterprise. Sessions included lightning talks with best practices and advice from leaders in the field, interactive skill-building workshops, and exclusive networking opportunities.
At its core, the event aimed to diversify the pipeline into social impact careers and inspire the next generation of social entrepreneurs. As such, the organizing committee was thrilled to welcome a diverse audience of over 50 students across 21 schools and over 20 degree programs, all eager to explore how they could make a difference through their work.
Event Overview and Key Highlights
The day’s agenda featured several key components designed to inspire and prepare attendees for social entrepreneurship opportunities:
Lightning Talks from Industry Experts: Attendees heard quick, high-impact presentations from leading social entrepreneurs, offering insights into career pathways and shedding light on the importance of their work. Some topics included: “Policy is Personal. Why I Advocate for Survivors Affected by Technology-Facilitated Violence,” “Tough Choices: The Reality of Social Entrepreneurship,” and “Have a Plan and then be Willing to Break It.”
Interactive Skills Workshops: Students chose between three interactive skills workshops to learn concrete skills to help them succeed in this field. Topics included: “Launch Your Career With Confidence,” “Main Character Energy: Your Responsible Tech Origin Story,” and “Startups & Innovations at New York Tech: NESTS Workshop.”
Exclusive Networking Opportunities: Students were encouraged throughout the day and during the formal networking session to introduce themselves to the speakers in attendance, learn from them, and expand their network.
Featured Speakers
The event brought together an impressive lineup of speakers, including:
Michael Schmidt – Chief Community Scientist at NationBuilder
Shadeira Nesmith – Founder and Software Development Instructor of Stacked Up Academy
Anthoni Garcia – Lab Manager of CUNY PIT Lab
Will Rivera – Managing Director of MyOwn Image
Kathryn Kosmides – Founder and CEO of Garbo
Ryan Ahmed – CEO of Niura, NESTS at New York Institute of Technology
Pari Patel – COO of Niura, NESTS at New York Institute of Technology
Clara Fletcher – Founder and CEO of Career Star
Alexandra Feldhausen – Associate Director for AI for Nonprofits Spring at the Fund for the City of New York
Kendall Schrohe – Organizing Director of Design It For Us
Alayna Kennedy – Manager of AI Governance at Mastercard
These experts represented a wide range of perspectives and causes, all with the drive and passion to advocate for social change. Their insights illuminated both the challenges and opportunities in social entrepreneurship, inspiring attendees to consider how they might make an impact.
This event was made possible by the dedicated organizing committee, including Abby Fergus, GradFUTURES Fellow at All Tech Is Human, and Jennifer Griffiths, Amy Bravo, and Raed ElZenaty from the New York Institute of Technology.
Are you looking to get more involved in the Responsible Tech ecosystem? Check out All Tech Is Human’s Responsible Tech Guide, view our Responsible Tech Job Board, join our large Slack community and newsletter, and participate in our regular in-person and virtual gatherings.
