These college students had a master plan that helped them land several interviews at the AFROTECH™ Conference 2025.
Aishat Balogun is a sophomore at Boston University, studying electrical engineering. She attended the Illinois Math and Science Academy, which validated her interests in STEM. Esther Newton had a passion for people and creativity, which led her to take art classes since she was six years old. She was introduced to STEM through the Pittsburgh Technology Council, and she realized she could still use her creativity in the field and that not all roles were “super technical.” She is currently a sophomore pursuing industrial engineering at The Pennsylvania State University.
Balogun and Newton interned at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle as software development engineers during the summer of 2024.
“We were all just super eager to be there and wanting to work together,” Newton expressed.
The pair were reunited again as attendees at the AFROTECH™ Conference 2025. They were supported through the Amazon Future Engineering Scholarship Program, which covered their flights, hotels, and Premiere tickets.
“I had seen my engineering peers had gone to AFROTECH™, and they had spoken about it being such an amazing, life-changing experience. ‘You would’ve gotten internships and made like insane connections.’ And I was like, ‘I need to find a way to get here next year,'” Newton said.
Balogun also had interests in attending the conference following her time at the National Society of Black Engineers 2025 Convention in Chicago in the spring of her freshman year.
“Just the networking opportunities, meeting people from different schools, it was just a fun way to kind of meet Black professionals as well as Black students who have so many different passions, so many different distinctions within their fields,” Balogun said of the convention. “So that kind of made me want to try out AFROTECH™ since I’ve never been before. And it was something that was kind of on my radar. I’ve heard about it, and I thought it’d be cool to attend.”
Tips To Conquer The Conference
The pair attended the conference for its first three days before leaving Thursday morning to resume their classes. They were strategic from the start, securing eight interviews collectively. Fortunately, they have also shared their roadmap to success.
1. Make Those Connections Early
Ahead of the 2025 conference, which was held Oct. 27-31 in Houston, TX, Balogun and Newton reached out to attendees and recruiters, using LinkedIn as a helpful avenue to deepen connections on the ground. This led to several invitations to private dinners.
“If you hadn’t been making those connections beforehand, you might not have been able to attend,” Newton said.
Balogun also noted the importance of networking horizontally with other students. This also led them to understand better what to keep on their radar, particularly after meeting with another student who was a college senior.
“She attended more conferences than we have. And she was just very helpful and kind of was being like, ‘Oh, there’s this happening, you should come. There’s this happening.’ I think that’s just a key player, meeting not only official recruiters, but also meeting students that can just help you out and just give you leeway, a door in to different opportunities … That led to more private dinners and more private events that we would have not known about unless we talked to random groups of people,” Balogun explained.
2. Research Before Heading To The Expo Hall
The expo hall, which officially opened on Tuesday, was also a target point. Newton said she researched companies beforehand to gauge what positions were being offered and what they were looking for in a resume.
Balogun said she also followed suit with Esther’s approach, which included uploading her resume to Talent Infusion ahead of the conference. Using the talent portal is a great way to gain visibility from employers.
She adds that another helpful tip is to apply for jobs beforehand. Instead, you can be more intentional with your time by reviewing the application or asking questions about the timeline.
“That kind of just shows you being more prepared, and that just shows that you actually researched the company more and then just kind of come there to just learn about what they could provide, but more so what you can provide to the company,” Balogun explained.
3. Skip The Line With Private Links
A bonus tip is to engage with companies at the conference, which sometimes provide access to a private link for directly uploading resumes or for follow-up.
“I was really able to utilize getting those private application links sent to me. What a lot of recruiters were able to explain to me is, there’s a general applicant pool where everyone can apply, and then there’s a special applicant pool where they have to give you a personalized link and they’re looking at you at a closer scope. So I think from there, that’s how I was able to get three to four interviews set up,” Newton said.
4. Don’t Count Yourself Out
Lastly, don’t count yourself out even when reading the qualifications for an internship or position. Balogun said a company she had been scouting was initially not hiring sophomores for 2028. However, by making a direct connection with a recruiter at the expo and attending a private dinner, she was considered for the interview process.
“Most places hire for juniors and up. But I think that just kind of goes to show that if you put the work in and if you make the proper connections, that you have a chance,” she expressed.
Secure Your Ticket
The next AFROTECH™ Conference will be making its way to Houston in 2026 from Nov. 2 through Nov. 6. Feeling FOMO? Secure your early bird ticket now for 2026.
