Emily Marshall 5/15/26 Emily Marshall 5/15/26

How We Used AI to Build Career Pathways for Underserved Students—Without More Staff or Budget

Bear Down Gym 210 | Learn how Pima Community College leveraged AI and community partnerships to rapidly build culturally responsive career pathways for underserved students. This session offers a practical and scalable model for increasing access and impact without requiring additional staffing or funding.

Bear Down Gym 210

Inclusive career pathways are a priority for everyone, but 'capacity' is usually the roadblock. At Pima Community College, we broke that barrier. By combining AI-driven scale with deep community roots—including partnerships with our Native American Student Club and the Gospel Rescue Mission—we’ve built pathways that honor students’ cultural identities and lived experiences. Join us to see how we’ve personalized career support for diverse identity groups and walk away with a replicable model you can use to meet your students exactly where they are.

Session Outcomes

Apply practical AI workflows to rapidly create career pathway content aligned to students’ cultures and lived experiences
Design partnerships with campus and community organizations to co-create pathways that meet students where they are
Implement a scalable approach to expand access to relevant career pathways without adding staff or budget"

Presenter

Emily Marshall

Program Manger, Work-Based Learning Systems
Pima Community College

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Guide the Way: How Career Professionals Can Shape AI Implementation

Bartlett Academic Success Center 316 | Career professionals already possess many of the skills needed to guide responsible AI implementation, even without being technical experts. This interactive session explores how practitioners can step into leadership roles, shape AI use ethically, and move forward with greater confidence and clarity.

Bartlett Academic Success Center 316

Career development professionals know how to guide others through uncertainty — navigating lengthy application processes, understanding barriers, and building trust and connection. These exact skills are needed for responsible AI implementation, but many practitioners may feel we are waiting for experts to lead. This interactive session challenges that assumption: you don't need to be an AI expert to shape how this tool gets used in your work. Through stories of stepping into leadership without all the answers, practical examples, and interactive moments, you'll discover – and claim – where your expertise is critical. Leave with permission, confidence, and actions to move forward.

Session Outcomes

Participants will identify their own unique expertise and how it applies to responsible AI implementation for themselves, in their work, and in a career services context.
Participants will evaluate use of AI tools and decisions through a human-centered lens, recognizing when to implement, modify, or decline AI use based on student impact and equity considerations.
Participants will plan one concrete action to step into AI leadership in their role — whether experimenting with a tool, sharing a best practice, facilitating a team conversation, or shaping decision-making.

Presenter

Amanda Harrell

Program Manager, Office of Responsible AI
University of Arizona

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Guiding Intentional AI Use in Students’ Career Development

Bartlett Academic Success Center 316 | AI tools are rapidly becoming part of the career development process, but students need support using them thoughtfully and ethically. This session explores practical prompt engineering strategies that encourage reflection, revision, and critical thinking while helping students navigate career exploration and professional communication.

Bartlett Academic Success Center 316

This session explores how career development professionals can support students to use AI tools thoughtfully and ethically. We will discuss prompt engineering strategies that center revision, self-reflection, and critical evaluation as students explore career paths, create application materials, prepare for interviews, and craft professional communication.

Session Outcomes

Frame AI as a resource that supports student learning, reflection, and skill development.
Apply prompts and strategies that promote critical evaluation, agency, and authenticity.
Learn how students can use AI to support career exploration, application materials, interview preparation, and professional communication.