Becky Pickle, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation
Learn how to prioritize mental health while volunteering, with insights on maintaining well-being and resilience in your service journey.

Lydia Bigcraft, Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs
Noriadnys Gomez, Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs
Explore how volunteering can strengthen bonds, foster collaboration, and create lasting connections in your community.

Makayla Larkins, UServeUtah College Community Engagement Council Alumna
Anna Romero, UServeUtah Youth Commissioner
Explore the many ways you can make an impact.

Cassandra Wambach, Thriving Utah
Everything you need to know about getting involved and making a difference.

Ben Trentelman, Utah Afterschool Network
Savanna Barlow, UServeUtah High School Council Alumna
Explore the art of effective communication and networking in volunteerism, discovering strategies to connect, collaborate, and amplify your impact in the community.

Remi Prince, Granite Education Foundation
Learn how to strike the perfect balance between life, school, work, and volunteering, with practical tips to integrate service into your busy schedule without burnout.

Jake Fitisemanu, West Valley City Council
Discover how to leverage your volunteer experience to enhance your resume and explore career paths that align with your passion for service.

Mike Moon, UServeUtah
Ruby Vejar, UServeUtah Youth Commissioner
Unlock advanced strategies to elevate your volunteer efforts, turning passion into impactful leadership and long-term community change.

Keynote Speaker

Mohan Sudabattula is the Founder and CEO of Project Embrace, a healthcare nonprofit committed to bridging the gap in medical supply access and increasing access to dignified healthcare for all. Project Embrace has a distinguished track record of supporting low-resource and marginalized communities, including the unsheltered, undocumented patients, refugees, at-risk women and children, indigenous and native communities, veterans, and those living in severe poverty.
As a visionary healthcare entrepreneur, Mohan’s work has been recognized and celebrated on numerous prestigious platforms, including the Utah State Legislature, the University of Utah School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford Law School, the University of Oxford, the United Nations, and the TED stage. His exceptional business acumen and passion for social impact earned him recognition as one of Utah Business' “20 in Their 20s.” More recently, Mohan was selected as a Maker Fellow, joining an elite cohort of the world’s leading founders from Forbes 30 Under 30, Y Combinator, a16z, Sequoia Capital, the Founder’s Fund, and the Thiel Fellowship.

Emcee
Ta’Mariah is a dedicated and driven young scholar pursuing her education at Utah State University. Hailing from Anchorage, Alaska, she embraces the privilege of learning and strives to make the most of the opportunities available. Ta’Mariah is interested in fostering inclusivity and social engagement as a student. With a family of 11, she has developed a socially interactive personality that complements her academic pursuits. Currently enrolled as a Political science major, she is concurrently pursuing dual minors in leadership and anticipatory intelligence with certificates in nonprofit organizations/social entrepreneurship and leadership diplomacy. Ta’Mariah's academic journey is not merely about personal growth; it is fueled by a genuine passion for addressing educational inequalities. Her aspirations extend beyond borders, aiming to tackle disparities in education for marginalized groups, encompassing international, undocumented, and Black/African American students across all educational levels. Post-graduation, Ta’Mariah plans to obtain a teaching certification and pursue a master's in education in Nashville, Tennessee. Undeterred by the challenges, she is committed to completing her academic journey with a Ph.D. With an unwavering dedication to effecting positive change, Ta’Mariah aims to channel her expertise into the realm of the US government, specifically within the Department of Education. Her overarching goal is to contribute significantly to the ongoing efforts to rectify educational disparities and ensure equitable opportunities for all.

Session: Building Community through Volunteering
Lydia Bigcraft is a dedicated Youth & Project Specialist with a strong focus on overseeing youth leadership programming. With a B.S. in Criminology and a B.S. in Political Science, she is passionate about the intersections between community members’ lived experiences and systemic strategies for community care. As a third-culture individual who grew up in Malaysia, she brings a unique perspective to her work while proudly calling Utah her home for the past four years.
In her role, she is committed to making Utah a welcoming place where all youth—from middle and high school students, to college and system-involved students—feel a deep sense of belonging and have the opportunity to thrive as the next generation of leaders. Her work is particularly impactful, as demonstrated by her creation of the "Hope Series," a set of innovative programs designed to empower young individuals to realize and actualize their full potential, recognizing their capacity to be positive changemakers in their communities. Driven by a vision of seeing all youth in Utah flourish, she continues to champion the cause of providing the resources, support, and opportunities they need to succeed and become future leaders.

Session: Building Community through Volunteering
Noriadnys (Nori) Gomez de Bybee is the Community Engagement and Project Specialist at the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs, where she focuses on building bridges between the MCA division and the Utah community to foster meaningful connections and engagement opportunities which promote a more welcoming and opportunity-building Utah. She brings a deep sense of empathy and passion to her role, shaped by her lived experiences as a bicultural American, balancing her Venezuelan heritage with her immigrant upbringing in the United States. These same experiences led her to obtain a B.S. in Sociology with an emphasis on immigration, civil rights, and global citizenship.
As the newest member of the division, Nori is committed to creating spaces where all voices, especially those who often go unheard, are uplifted, understood, and valued through increased communal proximity. She is excited about the opportunity to give back to the communities that shaped her and to contribute to a Utah where everyone can thrive and feel a sense of belonging.

Session: Community Engagement Pathways 
Makayla Larkins is currently a Junior at the University of Utah. She is  majoring in Fine Arts with an emphasis in painting and drawing. While she has enjoyed various mediums from sculpture to photography, painting has always been her favorite. Service is another passion of hers and she has been volunteering with different organizations since she was young. She has served as a member of the UServeUtah College Community Engagement Council for the past two years. During her time on the council, she conducted two community engagement projects addressing the needs of local teen centers. Makayla is excited to continue her service endeavors as well as further her education.

Session: Community Engagement Pathways 
Anna Romero is from South Jordan, Utah and currently attending the University of Utah where she is majoring in International Studies with a minor in Spanish. In high school, she was part of the UServeUtah high school council, and is now serving as UServeUtah's Youth Commissioner. In her spare time, she loves volunteering, camping, listening to music, and spending time with friends.

Session: Volunteering 101
Cassandra is the Program Director of Thriving Utah and has been a part of the AmeriCorps community since 2015. She is incredibly passionate about the benefits of service, both for the communities served and for those serving. “What I love most about my job is connecting with incredible nonprofits and agencies statewide, and seeing our AmeriCorps members shine as they enhance their impact through service.”

Session: Balancing Life and Volunteering
Remi Prince is the Program and Volunteer Manager for Granite Education Foundation, the non-profit that supports the 84-school, 58,000-student Granite School District. Starting as a Business Administration and International Studies major at the University of Utah, Remi realized his true passion was to make a difference through public institutions. After 5 years at Granite Education Foundation, he has overseen thousands of volunteers and coordinated many large-scale projects and events. He is an avid traveler, trail runner, and roundnet (Spikeball) player.

Session: Career Options and Resume Building
Jake Fitisemanu Jr was born in New Zealand/Aotearoa and raised in Hawaiʻi and Utah. He is the oldest of eight children raised by Karen Jun Lin Dang (Kaimuki, O'ahu and Wailuku, Maui, Hawai'i) and Papali'i Jacob Fitisemanu (Falefa, 'Upolu and Safune, Savai'i, Samoa). Jake earned degrees in Social Sciences and Public Health from Westminster College, and serves his family under the chiefly title “Laufou” bestowed on him by the village of Puipa'a, Faleata. Before his current role as Community Health Program Manager for Intermountain Health, he led public health programs for the Utah Department of Health for nine years. He was appointed by President Obama to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders in 2015 and served on the US Census National Advisory Committee for two terms. He is an advisor for the National Academy of Medicine, the University of Utah School of Dentistry, and the Samoana Integrated Learning Initiative. He lives with his wife Lucia and their two daughters in West Valley City where he has been elected twice as a Councilmember.

Session: Taking Volunteerism to the Next Level 
Mike Moon serves as the associate director at the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism (UServeUtah) which serves as the central coordinating body for service and volunteerism including AmeriCorps, Volunteer Generation Fund, and Community Engagement at the state level. Mike and the UServeUtah team direct all federal dollars for AmeriCorps programming, manage partnerships with outside organizations, oversee media relations, and work with the Lt. Governor and Commission to advance Utah’s service priorities. Prior to joining UServeUtah in 2019, Mike led many community engaged learning (CEL) initiatives within higher education for fifteen years at Southern Utah University, Utah Valley University, and Weber State University including community partnerships, student leadership, AmeriCorps programming, scholarships, awards, the Pathways of Public Service and Civic Engagement framework, and domestic/international CEL initiatives. Mike is a two-time AmeriCorps alum, a published author, and frequent public speaker.

Session: Taking Volunteerism to the Next Level 
Ruby is a Political Science student at Weber State University, studying to become an immigration lawyer. She lives by the motto "eyes up, do the work" and has devoted her life to helping others. As the youth volunteer commissioner for the State of Utah at UServeUtah, she focuses on refugees, immigrants, food insecurity, and higher education issues. Ruby is also a previous 7 for 17 Award Winner, recognizing young Utahns striving to make a positive impact on their communities.