2025 STARS Celebration

Building community to create a more inclusive tech future!

Sept. 13, 2025 | Dallas, TX

REGISTRATION BY INVITATION ONLY
Registrations will be issued to select STARS Chapters and partners in July.

STARS Celebration Agenda
Thursday, September 11th
TimeTypeSession Title and Description
8:00am – 9:00am CDTBreakfastSTARS Breakfast
Friday, September 12th
TimeTypeSession Title and Description
8:00am – 9:00am CDTBreakfastSTARS Breakfast
8:00am – 9:00am CDTWorkshopSTARS Student Leadership Networking
Building on our connections from yesterday, student leaders will brainstorm their needs and wants for the upcoming academic year. What do they want their chapter to accomplish? How can they best use Tapia and tomorrow’s STARS Celebration to build towards these goals?
6:00pm – 8:00pm CDTSocialAlumni Mixer (invitation only)
This alumni-focused mixer brings together alumni of STARS for networking, (re)connection, sharing experiences, and conversation over a meal. The event will include lightning talks and focus groups to understand how STARS can improve national outreach and support of our alumni community.
Saturday, September 13th
TimeTypeSession Title and Description
7:30am – 8:30am CDTBreakfast; Badge & Reflection Card pick up
8:30am – 9:00am CDTMain SessionWelcome & Overview
9:00am – 10:15am CDTConcurrent Workshop“STAR-gazing”: Finding Ourselves in STARS
STARS recognizes that program adaptation is elemental to the central mission of increasing the persistence and retention of computing students and creating an environment that all can thrive. In this session, STARS leadership will guide participants through identity and future-building exercises, providing a space for the co-production of STARS programming.
9:00am – 10:15am CDTConcurrent WorkshopInstitutionalizing STARS: Sustaining Engagement through Local Partnerships and Fundraising
Each STARS Chapter adapts to the needs of its students and larger community via partnerships with campus activities, non-profit organizations, and local industry. In this interactive session, representatives from different chapters will provide insight into how their programs work, pitfalls to avoid, and tips for success.
9:00am – 10:15am CDTConcurrent WorkshopMeasuring STARS Impact
Measuring the effectiveness of programming is not as straightforward as checking your code for errors, after all one must account for the context of each participating individual. This session is designed for STARS Chapter Research Assistants (RAs) and will actively engage participants in the fundamentals of research and evaluation and the design of a local plan for investigating chapter outcomes.
9:00am – 10:15am CDTConcurrent WorkshopBrighter Together: STARS Stories that Connect Us
The best evidence of STARS success are our alumni and students. Join us to hear current students and alumni discuss their life experience and the role of STARS in this journey. Facilitated roundtable discussions will provide opportunities for sharing experiences and connecting across institutions and states.
10:15am – 10:30am CDTPassing Period
10:30am – 11:45am CDTConcurrent WorkshopPitching STARS
Communication is vital to building community, but how effectively do we communicate about STARS? In this session we will learn strategies and practice communicating about STARS to varying audiences, including potential partners, colleagues, funders, and employers.
Concurrent WorkshopInstitutionalizing STARS: Sustaining Engagement through Local Partnerships and Fundraising
Each STARS Chapter adapts to the needs of its students and larger community via partnerships with campus activities, non-profit organizations, and local industry. In this interactive session, representatives from different chapters will provide insight into how their programs work, pitfalls to avoid, and tips for success.
Concurrent WorkshopCustomizing your STARS Experience
Every campus community is different and STARS is not a one-size fits all program. STARS activities are designed to be a customizable mix of research experiences, professional development, community outreach, and networking. Join us to explore these individual opportunities and find your balance in STARS.
Concurrent Workshop*New* STARS Membership Portal
STARS is launching a new online community space for STARS students, chapter advocates, and alumni. Currently under development, the goal is for this portal to share information and strengthen connections within chapters, across chapters, and between past and present STARS. Join us to provide your feedback and ideas for improvement.
11:45am – 1:00pm CDTLunchHome Team Planning
1:00pm – 2:00pm CDTPoster SessionWe are STARS | Poster Session
2:00pm – 3:15pm CDTConcurrent Workshop“STAR-gazing”: Finding Ourselves in STARS
STARS recognizes that program adaptation is elemental to the central mission of increasing the persistence and retention of computing students and creating an environment that all can thrive. In this session, STARS leadership will guide participants through identity and future-building exercises, providing a space for the co-production of STARS programming.
Concurrent WorkshopDecoding LinkedIn: Networking and Personal Branding
LinkedIn is the largest online professional networking platform, with more than a billion members worldwide. While making a profile seems fairly straightforward, how can you use LinkedIn to share your personal brand, grow your network, and find resources and opportunities? This session will explore best practices for creating your professional online presence.
Concurrent WorkshopStrength in Numbers: Recruiting for Resilience in Computing
Discover practical strategies to attract new members and build a thriving STARS chapter on your campus in today’s rapidly evolving tech environment. This interactive session will equip you with creative recruitment tactics, retention best practices, and tools to expand your chapter’s reach, impact, and ability to weather industry disruptions.
Concurrent WorkshopWhat’s Next? Launching your Computing Career
Computer science is a rapidly changing field, i.e. jobs available 10 years ago, even 5 years ago, are now antiquated. As you weigh the pros and cons of various computing careers, learn from recent STARS alumni about their own challenges and success and how they found the career path right for them.
3:15pm – 3:30pm CDTPassing Period
3:30pm – 4:45pm CDTConcurrent WorkshopMaking the Most of your Network
In this workshop participants will be introduced to a multiple mentor model and the benefits of having more than one mentor. We all need support to (1) get our work done, (2) support our career development, and (3) safeguard our well-being. Participants will learn how to strategically expand their network and how to use their current network more effectively.
Concurrent WorkshopThriving in Toxic Systems
At the heart of Broadening Participation in Computing is a tension between students’ intersectional identities and systems that were not designed to prioritize their success. In this session, facilitators will lead a discussion of this inherent tension and share strategies for navigating a system built for the few.
Concurrent WorkshopEffective Mentoring
This workshop will provide participants the basics of mentoring across differences, which includes acknowledging your own strengths, limitations, and resources. Join us to explore helpful approaches on building effective mentoring relationships and multiple-mentor teams.
Concurrent WorkshopSTARS in a Box + Feedback (invitation only)
STARS Leadership is developing a kit that supports a bi-directional, responsive model for starting and running a STARS chapter. “STARS in a Box” will provide timelines, checklists, self-assessments, and answers to frequently asked questions to assist this process. This session will solicit your feedback and suggestions to inform revision and refinement of these materials.
4:45pm – 5:00pm CDTPassing Period
5:00pm – 5:30pm CDTMain SessionAwards & Closing
6:30pm – ??? CDTSocialSTARS After Party
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