For students entering fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computer science and data science, earning a degree is only part of preparing for the competitive job market. Knowing how to communicate their skills, build professional relationships and turn classroom knowledge into workplace experience can matter just as much.
The new USAA Ascent Scholars Program in UT San Antonio’s College of AI, Cyber and Computing is designed to help students make those connections before graduation.
Launching this fall, the two-year, USAA-funded program will combine scholarship support with career development, faculty-guided projects, workshops, mentoring and opportunities to connect with industry professionals. The inaugural cohort includes 40 students.
“I view it as a career accelerator,” said USAA Student Success Center Director Amanda Brown.
The two-year commitment in the Ascent Scholars Program is designed to be more than a traditional scholarship. Students receive financial assistance, but the college also takes additional steps to invest in their professional development. The structure is intended to take students from exploring careers to enter the workforce.
“The goal or the intent behind this design is to have the time and structure to progress through meaningful engagement and offer a developmental journey rather than simply receiving funding for one academic year,” said Brown, who is overseeing the program with Assistant Director Lizet Casas.
More than technical knowledge
Program planning has been underway for more than a year. Student progress will be measured through key performance indicators as students participate in workshops, presentations and interactive activities.
They will undertake faculty-guided projects with research components and receive career coaching and opportunities to engage with industry mentors and professionals. Scholars will also serve as ambassadors and leaders withing the college community.
The idea is that technical knowledge alone cannot prepare someone for the workplace. Even before the Ascent Scholars Program began, student applicants gave the college insight into what they want from the experience. Students identified becoming more confident communicators and stronger job candidates among their priorities.
“Unanimously across the board, (applicants are) emphasizing soft skills development as being the number one need that they have,” Brown said.
Applicants also expressed concerns about what it takes to succeed in their chosen fields and become more marketable as technology, including artificial intelligence, changes the workplace. These priorities also closely align with the professional development built into Ascent Scholars.
“Every student will be able to find themselves in that engagement with the program and partners and industry mentors that we are inviting to guide them,” Brown said.
Success beyond the scholarship
Over the two-year program, the college plans to track students’ development and the impact of its programming. Brown said the goal is to look beyond participation numbers or the amount of scholarship funding awarded.
Instead, she wants to see students develop professional relationships, strengthen skills over time and learn how to connect their college experiences to career opportunities.
“I want (students) to develop relationships with mentors and professionals that they’ll get to engage with,” Brown said. “I want them to be able to build skills over time and translate their own experiences into tangible career outcomes.”
Those outcomes could include improvements in professional speaking, resume preparation and interviewing. Tracking that progress will also help the college determine how effectively the Ascent Scholars are prepared to transition from college to the workforce.
