The 12th Annual Young Generation Technical and Leadership Conference

“Ygnite 2016: REALizing Initiative”



The 12th annual Young Generation Technical and Leadership Conference (YGTLC), nicknamed Ygnite 2016, successfully began a new decade, igniting the spirit of collaboration among Korean-Americans in different fields to help them break past personal goals, glass (or bamboo) ceilings, and develop their careers. Bright young professionals, graduate students, and undergraduate students from various cities across America, Canada, and Korea actively participated in sessions designed especially for their topical interests, broadening their interests, skills, and careers. The topical interests covered state-of-the-art research projects and cutting-edge technology, as well as workshops and sessions on entrepreneurship. In addition, the special joint session (designed for senior KSEA leaders who attended the KSEA 44^th midterm council meeting) facilitated even greater interaction with YG participants and bridged various gaps through the sharing of life lessons and experiences.

This year, we had a total of 185 attending participants and approximately 60 council members.  We received 271 applications, of which 212 acceptances were sent out. We reserved a spot for YG officers from each applying institution and an extra spot for institutions with newly formed YG Groups to recruit more young leaders to the conference. This year, we took the extra initiative to increase the number of working professionals in attendance to maximize the networking value of the conference. In total, we had 40% professionals, 34% graduate students, and 26% undergraduates.  The young generation participants ranged in age from 20 to 42 with the median age at 26 years old. Second, 1.5th, and first generation Koreans comprised 24%, 54%, and 21% of the total participants respectively.  Attendees also enjoyed a diversity of geography with 7% from Texas, 30% from the West Coast, 25% from the Midwest, and 37% from the East Coast.

Overall, Ygnite 2016 was a huge success. The conference drew press coverage from the local Dallas news, and we received extensive positive feedback from participants, organizers, council members, and speakers.

YGTLC Committee