Every Person, Every Path: Career Strategies for Serving Diverse Populations

Every Person's Career Journey is different. The communities we serve bring unique identities, experiences, strengths, barriers, and goals to their career development. Join the Colorado Career Development Association for this Virtual Conference focused on supporting folks from diverse backgrounds in their career development. 

Morning Keynote Speaker: Melissa Wheeler!

PhD in Counseling and Counselor Education

Board Certified Counselor (NCC)

Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS)

Presentation overview: 

Each individual’s career journey is shaped by unique experiences, including family, culture, and events that become part of their story.  As career development professionals, we intersect with their journey to provide support, yet we may not have experiences similar to our clients.  How, then, can we support their journey to make meaningful career decisions?  Exploring clients’ unique resources and lessons learned along their journey can support career decision-making and build resilience that clients can take beyond our sessions as they navigate the changing world of work.  We will discuss connections between theory and practice using examples from first-generation college student journeys.

In this session, Participants will: 

• Explore the role client experiences and background can impact career decision-making.
• Identify techniques to explore the experiences of the diverse individuals we support
• Connect culturally sustaining practices to our work with clients.

Community Building Session:

During this community building session, we will split up into breakout rooms, reflect on the morning session, apply it to our own practice. This is a great opportunity to learn from each other, ask questions, and connect. 

Afternoon Sessions: 

Gregor Meider: Advising Undocumented College Students about Career and Income Options 

Eileen Brown: Supporting Neurodivergent Career Paths: Practical Strategies for Career Development Professionals 

Danielle De La Mare: Naming and Disrupting Disempowering Discourses about Career: Teaching College Students to See (and Act on) New Possibilities

Julia Bordeaux: Beyond the Diploma: Helping Adult Learners Navigate Education, Career, and What Comes Next 

Kelly Mitchell: Who's in the Room? Using Public Data to Find and Disrupt Occupational Segregation in Your Community

Registration Details:

Early bird deadline is October 2nd, at which point regular pricing will open and be accessible until the day before the event, November 5th. Day of pricing will increase by $5 and be available until the morning of the event, November 6th. 

Questions about registration? Contact CCDA's Registration Chair, Grace Lyon, at events@coloradocareerdevelopment.org