Handshake Hosts First-Ever Event for Future Educators Featuring First Lady Jill Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona

The day will commence with a Handshake and Rhode Island College education networking
event attended by the First Lady and the First Lady of Rhode Island, Susan McKee, followed by
a free and virtual event to connect students, educators, teacher influencers, and school
administrators.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Handshake, the largest career network for early talent and Gen Z, announces its inaugural recruitment event for students looking to break into K-12 education. Class Act: Why a career in education might just be right for you will bring together education professionals, leaders, and advocates from across the country for a full day of in-person and virtual insights and first-hand experiences working in the education field.

The First Lady Jill Biden will join the day's festivities with an in-person visit to Class Act: your path to a career in education, an event co-hosted by Handshake and Rhode Island College's Career Development Center that will connect current students with local educators and alumni of their School of Education to learn more about potential pathways in K-12 education. Rhode Island Governor, Daniel McKee, and First Lady, Susan McKee, an educator and alumna of Rhode Island College, plan to participate in the event as well.

At 4 pm PST, Handshake will begin its free and virtual event, Class Act: why a career in education might just be right for you. This event will feature insights from educators, teacher influencers, school counselors, and administrators across the country on careers in education, skills and certifications, navigating recruitment processes, and more. The First Lady and Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, will kick off the event with a message to galvanize current college students to join the education profession.

Virtual event speakers include Lauran Wolley, Educator / Content Creator; Travyon Thompson, Educator / Influencer; Amber Shields, School Leader; and Dr. Amy Murillo, Continuous Improvement Coach. Jules Terpak, video-first content creator and tech and digital culture reporter, will moderate. 

The virtual event will also feature donation opportunities and resources for college students and grads looking to break into education:

• DonorsChoose Donation: For each person that registers to attend the event, Handshake will donate $5 to DonorsChoose, a nonprofit organization that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects, to help support students and teachers around the country.
• Resource Hub: Handshake will debut its K-12 Resource Hub to connect the company's community of over 10 million students and alumni—280K of which have majored in education—with the thousands of K-12 school districts actively hiring on the platform. Learn more: https://joinhandshake.com/students/education-jobs.

Registration for the virtual event, Class Act: Why a career in education might just be right for you, is currently open and available to students via their Handshake accounts or the registration page: https://joinhandshake.com/students/class-act/

Last month, Handshake co-founder and CEO, Garrett Lord, answered the call to action from the Biden Administration, joining education leaders and industry peers at The White House to help address school staffing shortages and strengthen the teaching profession for future generations. 

"It's an honor to answer the call of the Biden Administration to help strengthen the teaching profession and support school districts nationwide," said Garrett Lord, Co-Founder, and CEO of Handshake. "We take great pride in featuring a powerful message from the First Lady and Secretary Cardona today, as well as in bringing together a dynamic group of educators and content creators to help inspire students. Facilitating connections between job seekers, employers, and higher education institutions is what Handshake does best—we're proud to help drive career discovery and success for the next generation of professionals looking to find their purpose in education"

"We're so grateful to President Biden, Dr. Biden, and Handshake for convening this critical discussion about the teacher pipeline and ways to ensure our teachers and students have the support they need in the classroom," said Alix Guerrier, CEO of DonorsChoose. "We know firsthand that giving teachers the resources to flex their creativity and respond to their student's unique needs is an effective way to help keep teachers in the profession. By donating to requests on DonorsChoose as part of this event, Handshake is taking the teacher retention conversation one step further and making a tangible difference in classrooms across the country."

About Handshake
Handshake is the #1 place to launch a career with no connections, experience, or luck required. Handshake's community includes over 10 million students and young alumni around the world from 1,400 educational institutions, including four-year colleges, community colleges, boot camps, and 290+ minority-serving institutions. The platform connects up-and-coming talent with 750,000+ employers - from Fortune 500 companies like Google, Nike, and Target to thousands of public school districts, healthcare systems, nonprofits, and even sports teams like the LA Dodgers. Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Denver, New York, and London and teammates working globally.

SOURCE Handshake