This session introduces LevelUP initiatives that were designed to help students build their sense of identity, engage in career readiness, and communicate professionally at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Grounded in the conference theme Humans, Humanity, and the Humanities, these projects focused on the human experience of learning, exploring how identity, values, reflection, and purpose shape academic pathways, leadership engagement, and workforce preparation. Examples include helping Honor students develop their intersecting personal and professional identities, encouraging graduate students to use ePortfolios, supporting leadership skills in student organizations, and using competency-based digital portfolios in executive nursing programs.

Participants will engage in guided discussions, reflect on targeted prompts, and share strategies that support holistic student growth. By the conclusion of this session, attendees will acquire new approaches for facilitating connections between student identity and career planning, integrating reflective and skills-based outcomes to help students connect their identity to their future career plans, and generating actionable strategies to enhance student self-awareness, communication, and alignment between academic experiences and future employment.

Presenters

• Michelle Hale mahale@southalabama.edu, University of South Alabama
• Sohee Kim skim@southalabama.edu, South Alabama
• Heather Sprinkle hsprinkle@southalabama.edu, South Alabama
• Donna Streeter dcopeland@southalabama.edu, South Alabama
• Megan Sparks msparks@southalabama.edu, South Alabama
• Michelle Hale mahale@southalabama.edu, South Alabama
• Julie Estis jestis@southalabama.edu, South Alabama