UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Global and Career Services will co-host the Penn State Global Careers Institute, a professional development program designed to help Penn State’s international and domestic undergraduate and graduate students prepare for career success in the global marketplace. The Institute Conference will be held on Feb. 27 and 28, 2026, on the University Park campus.
The priority deadline for applications for the Institute is Dec. 1 and students may click here to apply.
“The Global Careers Institute helps students to understand their place in the global marketplace and gives skills and knowledge to translate their Penn State career into success,” said Brian Brubaker, assistant vice provost for global learning. “The institute also functions as a mini-conference, which allows students, particularly undergraduates, to gain experience in a conference setting while networking with accomplished alumni.”
Inspired by the World Cup coming to Philadelphia in 2026, Penn State Alumni Trustee and two-time world-champion soccer star Ali Krieger will be delivering the keynote speech during lunch on Saturday. The conference, which is open to students from all disciplines, will incorporate themes of sport, including leadership, perseverance, teamwork, and global collaboration, into its curriculum.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ali Krieger to keynote this event,” said Sabine Klahr, vice provost for Global. “She has had a highly successful career, particularly internationally as an Olympic athlete, and therefore, will have a powerful message to share with students regarding resilience and global impact.”
Events will be held at the Hyatt Downtown and sessions will occur in the Eric Barron Innovation Hub.
“We’ve had alumni and friends of Penn State from every inhabited continent bring their experience, knowledge, and passion in fields spanning from technology to international governance to real estate and everything in between,” said Richard Spicer, assistant director of Global Outreach. “The diverse backgrounds of our GCI speakers give every student attendee a chance to do meaningful professional exploration.”
Students will have the opportunity to network with alumni and speakers throughout the weekend event. Previous speakers have included:
- Uzair Qadeer, chief people officer at the BBC
- Aphrodite Biswas, research and development process engineer, i3 Pharmaceuticals
- Nana Yaw Essuman, vice president for data engineering, FanDuel
- Sindura Ganapathi, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India
- Christa Hasenkopf, director, Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) and Air Quality Programs, Energy Policy Institute, University of Chicago
More information can be found on the Global Careers Institute website or by contacting the Global Outreach team at globaloutreach@psu.edu.