Southern California Young Professionals SIG (SoCAL YP)

The SoCal YP SIG is a collaborative community of young learning and talent development professionals from the ATD Los Angeles, ATD Orange County, and ATD San Diego Chapter.

Why attend the SoCal YP SIG

Meet the YP Team

Michelle Yang (she/her), ATD-LA YP Coordinator

youngprofessionals@atdla.org

Michelle Yang is a talent development professional with over 5 years of experience in higher education. She spent the early parts of her career helping to develop college students into their best selves. Michelle now works in the tech industry as a Talent Development Specialist at DISQO, where she supports various People Ops functions such as onboarding, training, and team development. 

Michelle earned an M.A. in Educational Studies from The Ohio State University and a B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Fullerton.

A fun fact about her is that she didn’t learn how to ride a bike until she was in college! As a SoCal Young Professionals SIG leader, she is excited to create inclusive spaces in which young professionals can connect, learn, and thrive together.

Nairee Bedikian (she/her), ATD-LA YP Coordinator

youngprofessionals@atdla.org

Nairee is a learning and talent development professional and storyteller at heart. Similar to her ATD Young Professionals peers, she has years of experience in corporate and higher education industries. She currently works at The Walt Disney Company supporting learning, inclusion, and talent development. Her passion is to drive high-value impactful programs alongside unique engagement opportunities for employees at all levels in an organization.

She received her M.A. in Organizational Psychology from Alliant International University - Los Angeles and her B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Northridge. 

Nairee’s fun fact is that her dogs are the reason she was offered two of her recent roles. She is so excited to be involved in the SoCal Young Professionals SIG and to provide learning and connection opportunities with fellow peers in this career field. 

Jessica Del Rosario (she/her), ATD-OC YP Coordinator

youngprofessionals@atdoc.org 

Jessica is a learning and talent development professional with experience in both corporate and higher education. She currently works in the healthcare industry as an Instructional Designer. Her attention to detail shines during the entire ADDIE process and believes in creating a cohesive learning experience from start to finish.

She earned her M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology from California State University, Fullerton, and her B.A. in Business Management from Azusa Pacific University.
A fun fact about Jessica is that she loves hot yoga! She’s so excited to be part of SoCal Young Professionals SIG because her passion is rooted in the development of others - especially those early in their careers.

Bridget Randall (she/her), ATD-SD President

president@tdsandiego.org 

Bridget leans into the ATD capability model, by focusing her leadership on collaboration, encouraging teamwork, and respectful relationships amongst the Board Directors and volunteers. Outside of ATD, she promotes Talent Development best practices as a Learning Consultant at Skillsoft, where she partners with her clients to identify root causes and ensure learning solutions make a measurable impact on their businesses. 

Bridget’s experience includes building innovative learning solutions from the ground up including designing, facilitating, and managing learning programs throughout the entire learning lifecycle.  Since COVID she has partnered with Your Flock.uk, a digital coaching platform built to help remote teams discover and strengthen their core values. 

Most nights you can find her walking along the north county coast enjoying a stunning sunset.

RESOURCES

Online Courses

1. Writing a Professional Email

2. Interview Like a Rockstar

Books

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life
In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans use design thinking to help us create a meaningful and fulfilling life, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.