{"id":768894,"date":"2025-10-28T19:50:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T02:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&#038;p=768894"},"modified":"2025-10-28T19:50:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T02:50:21","slug":"ypn-turns-10","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/ypn-turns-10","title":{"rendered":"YPN Turns 10!"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1041,10862,481012],"tags":[322972,16742,481662,165242,481272],"arcnews_issues":[493219],"class_list":["post-768894","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-collaboration","category-esri","category-esri-young-professionals-network","tag-career-development","tag-career-opportunities","tag-esri-ypn","tag-gis-careers","tag-ypn","arcnews_issues-fall-2025","arcnews_sections-news"],"acf":{"short_description":"Esri\u2019s Young Professionals Network celebrates a decade of empowering early-career GIS professionals.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Celebrating a Decade of Empowering Young GIS Professionals<\/h2>\r\nFor 10 years, the Esri Young Professionals Network (YPN) has encouraged newcomers to the GIS profession to build community, enhance their skills, and give back to those following in their footsteps.\r\n\r\n\u201cYPN was created with three core goals: to provide a space for GIS learning and skill building; to facilitate professional connections and community collaboration; and to foster leadership development through mentoring, speaking, and volunteering,\u201d said Raquel Perez, Esri senior industry marketing manager and the founder of YPN. \u201cFor over 10 years, it has supported career progression from newcomers to seasoned professionals, often serving as a platform for mentorship and knowledge-sharing.\u201d\r\n\r\nWhat began as a grassroots program for Esri employees in 2015 quickly expanded into the broader GIS community through Esri events. Now, YPN\u2014founded on the pillars of learn, connect, and lead\u2014has nearly 20,000 members around the globe, 10 chapters across the United States, an ambassador program, established partnerships with professional organizations, and a robust presence at major GIS industry events."},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[768895,768896,768897]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cOver the past decade, YPN has evolved from an initiative inside Esri to a cornerstone of the GIS community,\u201d said Perez, who remains a driving force behind the organization. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a network, it\u2019s a movement.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>The Genesis of YPN<\/h2>\r\nThe impetus for starting YPN was simple enough: An Esri director noticed at a conference that many young people were eager to make connections but perhaps felt overwhelmed by the process. So he reached out to Perez to see what to do about that.\r\n\r\nShe invited a handful of young professionals to share their ideas for what a networking group might look like.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe wanted to get their perspective on what would be important to them,\u201d Perez recalled. \u201cA lot of the conversation focused on the fact that they were young, just stepping out into their careers, and had the opportunity to attend conferences but didn\u2019t know where to start.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor Esri\u2019s next event\u2014the 2015 Esri FedGIS in Washington, DC\u2014Perez put together a set of professional development sessions and a networking event geared toward young professionals. Since then, YPN has ensured that every Esri event includes sessions and networking opportunities for young people and folks who are new to the industry to get oriented and build connections. At events with a trade show or expo, such as at the Esri User Conference (Esri UC), Perez staffs a YPN booth that people can easily find to ask career questions, get feedback on their r\u00e9sum\u00e9s and portfolios, and mingle with other GIS professionals."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>A Great Way to Envision and Build a Career<\/h2>\r\nYPN\u2019s growing presence at conferences over the past 10 years has given young professionals a stronger foundation for exploring opportunities and launching their careers.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s really overwhelming to attend a conference when you\u2019re in college or just starting out in your career. You hear all these presentations from people who have been in the profession for 10 or 20 years, and they\u2019re talking at a really high level, and you want to ask a question but don\u2019t even know how to approach them,\u201d said Sophia Garcia, Esri\u2019s equity and civic nonprofit lead, speaking from experience.\r\n\r\nShe has been attending the Esri UC since she was in college and got involved with YPN right from its inception, when she was just finding her footing in GIS. Garcia\u2014who has worked for local government, nonprofits, small consultancies, and now a large GIS company\u2014has leveraged contacts she\u2019s made through YPN, other professional organizations such as the Geospatial Professional Network (GPN), and conferences to orchestrate her career moves."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":768898,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cVia YPN and other events and organizations I participate in, I was able to see people who had jobs that were centered on the community or equity space, and talking to different GIS professionals helped me envision the kinds of positions I wanted,\u201d she reflected.\r\n\r\nTaylor Hawkins, a recent graduate of California State University, Stanislaus, who worked as a student assistant at the 2025 Esri UC, also sees YPN as a great resource for envisioning and shaping a career in GIS.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m interested in the networking opportunities available through YPN to help me find a career path,\u201d said Hawkins, who studied sociology, geography, and environmental resources, and likes how GIS can connect some of the more theoretical concepts of sociology. \u201cI\u2019m also looking forward to joining a chapter and having a community of other GIS professionals to help me keep up with what\u2019s going on and point me in the direction of job opportunities.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>YPN\u2019s Legacy, Today and Tomorrow<\/h2>\r\nFor anyone looking to develop their skills, grow in their careers, and meet new people in GIS, YPN offers a range of resources and events."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/about\/ypn\/regional-chapters\">Local chapters<\/a>\u2014from California to Maine and Minnesota to Texas\u2014hold regular in-person meetups to help incoming GIS professionals connect and build relationships with mentors. This is in addition to the YPN events hosted at every Esri conference.\r\n\r\nThe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/earn-gisp-contribution-points-through-esris-young-professionals-network\">YPN Ambassador program<\/a>\u2014open to anyone who wants to deepen their involvement in the organization\u2014offers three levels of participation. Participants can become a YPN Ambassador who purposefully engages with other members, a YPN Content Ambassador who publishes articles and blog posts relevant to the YPN and GIS communities, or a YPN Event Ambassador instrumental in hosting, attending, and speaking at YPN events. All three ambassadorships are eligible to earn contribution points toward the Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP) certification\u2014another way for GIS professionals to strengthen their standing in the field.\r\n\r\nThose further along in their GIS careers can become mentors through YPN to help up-and-comers shape their careers and set themselves up for leadership.\r\n\r\n\u201cI look back on YPN\u2019s evolution over the last 10 years, and I\u2019m just amazed that we\u2019ve been able to build something so special,\u201d reflected Perez. \u201cYPN has empowered thousands of people, built bridges across experience levels, and reinforced the power of community in the GIS profession.\u201d\r\n\r\nPerez sees YPN\u2019s 10-year anniversary as a moment to not only reflect on YPN\u2019s past achievements but also envisage how the organization will continue influencing the future of geospatial technology and leadership\u2014an undertaking that is near and dear to Esri president Jack Dangermond.\r\n\r\n\u201cMaps and GIS play a crucial role in the management and evolution of our world, but this requires more than technology. It requires geographic thinkers\u2014those who look at problems holistically, leveraging the science of geography to develop an understanding of how to create a better future for everyone,\u201d he said. \u201cThe YPN community is so important for this future, providing an opportunity to learn from one another and share the knowledge we need to create a more sustainable world.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":768899,"text":"YPN has empowered thousands of people, built bridges across experience levels, and reinforced the power of community in the GIS profession.","author_name":"Raquel Perez","author_profession_organization":"YPN Founder, Esri"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Center","content":"If you\u2019re a young professional looking to enhance your credentials, boost your technical skills, or build your portfolio, learn about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/early-career-gis-professionals-get-ahead-with-a-gisp-e-certification\">new GISP-E certification<\/a>, and find out how to participate in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/take-on-the-30-day-map-challenge\">30-Day Map Challenge<\/a>. Also, see how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/about\/ypn\/overview\">get involved in YPN<\/a>.","snippet":""}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>YPN Turns 10! | Fall 2025 | ArcNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Esri\u2019s Young Professionals Network celebrates a decade of empowering early-career GIS professionals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/ypn-turns-10\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"YPN Turns 10! | Fall 2025 | ArcNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Esri\u2019s Young Professionals Network celebrates a decade of empowering early-career GIS professionals.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/ypn-turns-10\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/arcnews-banner-ypn-wide.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"YPN Turns 10! 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