When TechLab research scientist Julia Tani showed up at a Beer & Biotech, she had no idea her world was about to expand. She’d come to support colleague Rob Day, who was delivering the keynote talk. But while mingling she heard about a new, incredible opportunity for recent grads that she couldn’t pass up.
“Within 24 hours, Rob had sent me an endorsement letter to enroll in the program and I never looked back,” said Julia.
Julia had become a member of the first ChangeMakerZ cohort, RBTC’s premier professional development program. The 10-month program empowers young STEM professionals with a thoughtfully scaffolded curriculum that includes emerging tech education, professional leadership assessments, coaching and mentorship, and the kind of fun activities that forge strong relationships.
Roanoke Blacksburg Offers Incredible Mix of Innovation and Lifestyle
A transplant from Northern VA, Julia found a cohort of likeminded peers in ChangeMakerZ. Each one was focused on building their careers in the Roanoke Blacksburg innovation ecosystem including Dr. Mustafa Kara, former release manager at Torc Robotics, and Devin Arrington, User Experience Strategist at NewCity Media.
Like Julia, Mustafa came to the region as a student at Virginia Tech and liked the area so much he decided to put down roots. “I was drawn to the Roanoke-Blacksburg region through my doctoral studies at Virginia Tech, and I stayed because of the incredible mix of tech innovation, quality of life, and community. Working at Torc Robotics here in Blacksburg has allowed me to contribute to autonomous vehicle development at the highest level,” said Mustafa.
Devin, on the other hand, is a proud Roanoke, VA, native and JMU grad who returned home to launch his career. “Roanoke has always been home and beyond that, Roanoke is adventurous, diverse, artistic, and warm. It’s a perfect mix of positive city attributes that lend themselves to a strong career trajectory and new life experiences,” Devin said.
ChangeMakerZ Exceeded Alumni Expectations
According to LinkedIn Learning, 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career. Our ChangeMakerZ alumni reported that they felt that investment and the impact.
“I expected to gain knowledge and connections, but ChangeMakerZ delivered much more. It created space for personal growth and confidence building,” said Mustafa.
For 10 months Julia, Mustafa, and Devin and grew their self-awareness, leadership capacity, and vision following the three phases of the ChangeMakerZ program:
1. Self-Awareness and Discovery: this phase is designed to help participants build better personal and professional communities, understand their communication and thinking styles, and build a stronger social network. This phase includes a retreat, DiSC and 360 assessment and coaching, GO Fest meetup, professional etiquette coaching and more.
2. Make An Impact at Work: Participants take their skills into the workplace and focus on what makes them unique while building influence among their peers and colleagues. They also reflect on their greater role in the region and industry. This phase includes RBTC Emerging Tech Conference, strengths assessment, accounting and project management training, Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs event.
3. Leave a Legacy: In the final phase of the program, participants learn to leverage their role in their industry and community, find opportunities for changemaking, and plan a purpose project that they feel passionate about. The phase includes purpose project workshops, media and DEIB session, RBTC’s TechNite.
Each participant could point with pride to a moment of growth, where they overcame obstacles or had a flash of insight that changed the way they saw themselves and their careers.
“I learned how to adjust my leadership and communication styles,” said Devin. “I understand that by listening deeply and observing how my colleagues and clients prefer to receive information I can strengthen my ability to guide and influence.”
Julia conquered her fear of presenting in public by presenting a proof of concept with another cohort member at TechNite in May 2025. “It went better than I could have anticipated. We had hours of non-stop traffic from interested guests and I grew more confident as the evening went on,” she said.
For Mustafa, finally pitching an idea he’d been working on in his free time was a pivotal moment. “It was the first time I framed the concept publicly and the positive, critical feedback helped me refine the vision and take it seriously as an opportunity,” he said. “Personally, it reignited my passion for innovation and connected me with a regional community of builders and changemakers.”
ChangeMakerZ Builds a Foundation for Flourishing Career
A long, successful career is made up of skill, vision, the willingness to learn and seize opportunities, and of course great relationships. ChangeMakerZ helps young professionals establish those qualities early so they can invest in their workplace and community.
“I most valued connecting with my ChangeMakerZ cohort. I work from home so meeting others in the same field is very challenging, and this program allowed me to make those connections,” said Devin.
“To all early career professionals, I would say: take advantage of the unique environment here—big ideas are welcome, and the support system is real. You don’t need to have all the answers to start something meaningful. Programs like ChangeMakerZ exist to help you find your path, even while working full-time at a great company,” Mustafa reflected.
Julia encouraged, “Do ChangeMakerZ! When else are you going to be given a chance to do all of the fun activities with folks your age and also get to work on your career?!”
RBTC is currently in our second cohort and have wrapped up “Phase 1: Self Discovery and Each Other – Community Building.” Considering ChangeMakerZ for you or someone on your team? Applications will open again in Spring 2026. Contact RBTC Program Coordinator Alla Daniel at alla.daniel@rbtc.tech for more information about the upcoming application cycle.
