Your Big Year

Your Big Year The playbook no one told me: Career tips, student stories, and real-world opportunities to help you build skills, gain experience, and create impact.

Diversity and inclusion has always been at the heart of everything we do, and we actively seek out backgrounds and perspectives that range from the manifold of experiences that relate to what it means to be human. At Your Big Year, we celebrate your unique ancestry, color, physical or mental disability, place of origin, race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation - what makes you, you!

08/24/2026

One idea. 110 students. A team of 23.

Meet Nelson Hamilton, IBM Z Student Ambassador at the University of Manchester, who turned an idea into a female-centered panel helping students explore careers in enterprise computing.

On September 9th, Nelson will take us behind the scenes at the IBM Z Student Ambassador Showcase and share how the event came together, from the team and marketing to the final experience.

This is what happens when students are given the space to lead, build and bring new people into the IBM Z community.

08/19/2026

“What I love most about student travel is its ability to transform young people’s lives.” 🌎

Katy Summers from SYTA shares why student travel goes far beyond the destination, building confidence, curiosity and global awareness while opening young people up to new perspectives and possibilities.

It’s exactly why opportunities like these matter. ✈️

🖤💛If you’re in Pittsburgh and haven’t registered yet, there’s still room to join us this weekend. We’d love to make space for you.💛🖤

08/18/2026

Meet Ronin Morata, IBM Z Student Ambassador at San Francisco State University and one of the ambassadors taking the stage at the IBM Z Student Ambassador Showcase on September 9.

Ronan will be sharing On-Frame, a LinkedIn community he created to connect people who are new to mainframe with professionals who have been part of the industry for years.

It is a simple idea with a big purpose: give people a space to ask questions, share what they know and learn from each other, no matter where they are in their mainframe journey.

The Showcase is all about giving our ambassadors the platform to share what they have been building, the communities they are growing and the ideas they are bringing into the IBM Z ecosystem.

Come hear from Ronin and other IBM Z Student Ambassadors from around the world, and see what they have been working on throughout their ambassador journey.

📅 September 9
🔗 https://airtable.com/appnhBCVc9hDgR8mz/paget5kbgm3qdqNBM/form

08/11/2026

What happens to your individuality when AI can do more of the thinking for you?

We asked students at our AI Campus event at Stony Brook University how they’re thinking about AI. Not just how to use it, but how to use it without losing the ideas and thinking that are actually yours.

Her take? It’s ultimately up to each of us to decide when AI is helping our thinking… and when it starts replacing it.

That’s a conversation worth having.

And if you’re ready to understand the tools a little better, start small: the IBM Bob badge takes about 10 minutes to complete.

🚀 The AI Accelerator is open to U.S. university students.

Future Voices. Real questions. Your future.

IBM UniversityStudents FutureOfWork

08/11/2026

Pittsburgh, we’ve got another one for you 💛🖤

What if giving back could also help you move forward?
Shreeya Venkat started NEST4US at just 13. Ten years later, she is still using service to build community while developing skills like leadership, teamwork, problem solving and adaptability.

Her message is simple: service can open doors you may not even know are there yet.

Hear more from Shreeya at Your Big Year® On Location Pittsburgh and put those skills into action through career readiness activities, conversations and real world networking.

📍 Pittsburgh
📅 August 22 and 23
🎟️ Free for young people ages 15 to 20

Register today through the link in bio.

NEST4US yby-gcc-pittsburgh

Many people don't realize our company's ties to the youth travel industry, but we have had 20 years of incredible partne...
08/11/2026

Many people don't realize our company's ties to the youth travel industry, but we have had 20 years of incredible partnerships with companies in this space. In fact, our CEO Marti Wigder Grimminck has spoken on stages all over the world advocating for the critical skills young people learn from cultural exchange and connection.

That's why we are excited to celebrate Marti's participation as a judge in this year's British Youth Travel Awards 2026.

These awards celebrate the organisations and individuals making an outstanding contribution to youth, student and educational travel across the UK.

If your organisation, or someone you work with, is doing exceptional work, I’d encourage you to take a look at this year’s 12 award categories and enter.

Entries close at 5pm on Thursday 24 September 2026: https://betauk.com/awards/enter/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=byta_2026_awards

08/10/2026

Meet Umut 👋

He’s an IBM Z Student Ambassador and the creator of GoFrame, a project built to make working with IBM Z systems simpler for developers.

For Umut, it’s about making mainframe technology easier to work with and helping more developers see what’s possible with IBM Z.

This September, he’ll take the stage at the 2026 IBM Z Student Ambassador Showcase, where he’ll share GoFrame with IBM professionals, industry leaders and the global mainframe community. 🚀

This is what the Ambassador program is all about. Learn something, build something and use it to make your mark.

🎥 Meet Umut and hear more about GoFrame.

StudentDeveloper FutureOfTech

08/08/2026

The Copy-Paste Fail 📋😬

Ever hit send… and then realized you forgot to change one very important detail? 😳📲

This week on Fail Friday, Leandro is flying solo and sharing a story from Sarah in California. She carefully wrote an important message, read it, checked it, checked it again… and then realized seconds after sending that she’d copied and pasted it without changing the name. 🙈😂

We’ve all had that stomach-drop moment where a shortcut suddenly creates a whole lot more work and embarrassment.

Here at Your Big Year, we’re embracing those awkward little mistakes because they usually come with a lesson. Templates can save you time, but taking five extra seconds to double-check the details can save you from a very uncomfortable moment. ✅✨

What’s your worst copy-paste, wrong-name, or wrong-message fail? 👀 DM us your story to be featured in an upcoming episode! 📬👇

BRING ON FAIL FRIDAYS! 👊💥

08/07/2026

SAY YES!! Opportunity doesn’t have to Look Logical!

The best opportunities don’t always look like the most logical next step.

Ryan’s advice? Say yes anyway.

Throughout his career, some of his most rewarding experiences have come from embracing unexpected opportunities. Each one has led him somewhere interesting, helping him grow, learn, and discover new possibilities.

His advice is simple: when an opportunity appears, be open to taking it—even if you can’t yet see where it might lead.

This episode is part of What I Know Now, a series where professionals share the experiences and decisions that shaped their careers.

What’s one unexpected opportunity you’re glad you took?

Follow us and Subscribe to our YouTube channel (YourBigYearProgram) for more real stories and career advice from professionals around the world.

08/05/2026

Pittsburgh, your future needs your voice at the table! 📣

On August 22–23, young people ages 15–20 are invited to a free, hands-on career-readiness experience at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh-PA

Build confidence, explore future possibilities, practice networking, and connect with professionals who want to see you succeed.

Your next step could start right here. Ready to take it?

Register free:
www.yourbigyear.com/on-location-pittsburgh

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