UNO Career Connect Symposium Showcases Power of Internships
- contact: Bella Lockwood-Watson - Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications
- email: unonews@unomaha.edu
Levi Thiele, Director of Career Services, leads the employer panelists in discussion. Photo: Ryan Soderlin, Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications.
The student panel at the Career Connect symposium. Photo: Ryan Soderlin, Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications.
Chancellor Li speaks at the Career Connect Symposium. Photo: Ryan Soderlin, Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications.
From higher wages to lower unemployment, the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s (UNO) Career Connect symposium on Sept. 16 highlighted how internships open doors and fuel Omaha’s workforce.
➡️ What happened:
- The Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom hosted the Fall 2025 Career Connect symposium, featuring two panel discussions with local business leaders and internship alumni.
- Career Connect Awards recognized outstanding interns and employer partners.
- Students, faculty, staff, and employers connected.
🏆 Award information:
- Rising Star: Sevan Lewis-Payne, FNBO
- Community Impact: Gabriel Kula, Office of U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts
- Innovation in Action: Hunter Pope, Union Pacific
- Intern of the Year: Bella McAtee, Passport Public Relations
💡 Why it matters:
- Internships boost career readiness: students with internships are 23% more likely to secure a full-time role within six months of graduation.
- Former interns earn 6% higher wages and have 15% lower unemployment five years out.
- Internships also correlate with stronger academic performance, with final-year grades 3.4% higher on average.
- UNO’s more than 79,000 alumni living and working in the Omaha metro area had a $2.4 billion total economic impact in 2024 alone.
🔎 Zoom in:
- Career Connect pairs UNO with more than 140 area employers to guarantee paid internships for students.
- The program is mutually beneficial, giving students real-world experience while supplying Omaha-area businesses with skilled talent.
About the University of Nebraska at Omaha
The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university, committed to innovating for the public good, advancing social mobility, powering workforce development, and serving as a hub for community engagement. Nearly 15,000 Mavericks choose UNO for its hands-on education experiences, nationally ranked online and graduate programs, military-connected student support, and innovative approaches to supporting lifelong learning. UNO holds the Carnegie Research Activity “R2” designation, securing more than $40 million annually in external research funding and counts its faculty among the world’s most cited scholars. Sixteen Omaha Athletics programs compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Summit League and National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).
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