­Follow Aggie EVO: Twitter  |  Instagram
 
 
For UC Davis women's lacrosse alum Hannah Mirza, the moment took place following practice one night for a recreation handball league in the South Bay.
 
"I knew my lacrosse career was over when I graduated, and I wanted to learn a new sport. I decided to pick up European team handball and met one of the co-founders of MadKudu, who played on the men's team.
 
"When the men's and women's team were practicing one day — everyone who plays works in the area, which allowed me to network with professionals — I started a conversation. That is how I earned my break."
 
Since Mirza was interested in starting a career in the tech industry, she simply shared her experiences with others and asked what she could do.
 
"Since I was transitioning into a new industry, I was looking for an entry-level job and willing to assist however I could."
 
Handball, combined with Mirza's ability to network, ultimately led to a position at MadKudu — an actionable lead scoring platform that uses predictive analytics to help SaaS marketing teams accelerate revenue. (SaaS = Software as a Service, a cloud-based service where applications are accessed through an internet browser.)
 
When Mirza joined the company in November, 2017, she was its second hire.
 
As is the case with all start-ups, recruiting talent is a part of everyone's role; at MadKudu, there was a need to hire additional individuals on the customer success team. To help fill this void, Mirza turned to another lacrosse alum who worked for UC Davis Athletics and handled various Aggie EVO projects to see if each could mutually benefit from this situation.
 
"When my MadKudu colleagues and I started listing the skills, backgrounds and types of people we were looking for, I spoke with former EVO fellow Kate Fellner about my company's situation. We were looking, and wanted to hire student-athletes for internship and full-time positions. I provided her all the information she needed and was willing to travel to Davis to meet with soon-to-be graduates," Mirza said.
 
"She sent me an Aggie EVO newsletter, which featured numerous student-athletes. That was the first time I found out who Mitchell Layton was. He stood out because he majored in data analysis, which was my role with the company."
 
That newsletter led to the first conversation between Mirza and Layton, a football student-athlete who was slated to graduate in December, 2018, when the former reached out to the latter through LinkedIn. After Mirza explained her role and the various opportunities available at MadKudu, Layton took full advantage of an opportunity to participate in an introductory call with other members of the company.
 
What continued with a phone call involving MadKudu's HR department the following month turned into an on-site interview with other members of Mirza's team.
 
Four months after receiving that LinkedIn message from Mirza, Layton became her colleague by joining MadKudu as one of its customer service engineers, a position he still holds today. 

By enjoying internships, jobs and other learning opportunities through a powerful network of Aggie alums, and developing the skills and tools needed to secure these opportunities, UC Davis student-athletes enjoy an uncommon and unparalleled undergraduate experience compared to their peers across the nation. Thanks to the Aggie EVO system, Layton was not the only one who enjoyed a successful launch.

As Mirza discovered firsthand, Aggie EVO allowed her organization to find the perfect candidate — one that possessed the formal education and hands-on experience needed to help MadKudu grow (the staff directory now features 23 members) and strengthen its place within the industry.

Professionals in the Bay Area, Silicon Valley and Sacramento region who are interested in participating in the Aggie EVO Pro Network are encouraged to contact Liz Martin, assistant athletics director of leadership giving & alumni engagement, at (530) 752-7326 or via email at emartin@ucdavis.edu.
 

 
SHOW SOLIDARITY THROUGH SUPPORT
Aggies are tough, resilient, and compassionate. We will remain connected throughout this unprecedented situation to strengthen our community, and showcase our Aggie Pride by sticking together and supporting one another.
 
UC Davis Athletics is proudly supported by Woodstock's Pizza, Buckhorn Steakhouse, Pizza Guys Davis, Taqueria Guadalajara, The Good Scoop, Nugget Markets, In-n-Out Burger, Chick-fil-A Vacaville and Sudwerk Brewing Co. To help us thank these pillars of the local business community for partnering with the Aggies, we ask that you support our corporate teammates when possible.
 
Information on pick-up and delivery options, as well as links to websites and respective social media accounts is available by clicking here.