Leahruth Jemilo
Director, Experiential Learning and Career Outcomes
Director and Co-Founder, E.M.B.E.R. (Early Micro-internships Building Employment Readiness)
Computer Science
Pronouns: She/ her/ hers
Contact
- Building & Room:
- CDRLC 5445
- Address:
- 850 W. Taylor St, MC 152, Chicago, IL 60607
- Office Phone:
- 773.259.8442
Email:
Related Sites:
About
Leahruth Jemilo is the Director of Experiential Learning & Career Outcomes in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois Chicago and Director and Co-Founder of E.M.B.E.R. (Early Micro-Internships Building Employment Readiness), UIC’s growing experiential learning initiative designed to connect students with meaningful professional experiences early in their academic journeys.
With an MBA from Columbia Business School and a background spanning business strategy, relationship building, and program development, Leahruth brings an employer-focused perspective to higher education. Her work sits at the intersection of students, industry, and the university: building partnerships with companies, developing experiential learning opportunities, and helping students connect what they learn in the classroom to the skills, confidence, and experiences they need to launch successful careers.
Leahruth believes that experiential learning should not be an “extra” reserved for a small number of students late in college. It should be an integral part of the undergraduate experience. Through E.M.B.E.R., she works with employers to create early micro-internships and other career-connected experiences that allow students to apply their technical knowledge to real business challenges while developing the communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and professional skills that employers value.
She is equally passionate about the employer side of the equation. Leahruth views strong university-industry relationships as partnerships built with employers, not simply programs built for them. By understanding employers’ evolving talent needs and connecting them with UIC’s exceptional student talent, her goal is to build relationships that create long-term value for students, companies, and the university.
And while strategy, outcomes, and scale are important to her, students remain at the heart of the work. Leahruth can frequently be found cheering a little too loudly at student presentations, reminding students to be brave enough to ask any and all questions, celebrating their first internships and job offers, and telling anyone who will listen how extraordinary UIC students are.
Her ultimate goal is simple but ambitious: to help make meaningful professional experience part of what students can expect from a UIC education — and to ensure employers know that when they partner with UIC, they are gaining access to talented, resilient, career-ready students prepared to make an impact.
Service to Community
Leahruth is deeply committed to service, mentorship, and creating opportunities for others, both professionally and personally.
She serves on the Board of Directors of Friedman Place, a Chicago nonprofit supporting adults who are blind or visually impaired in living full, independent lives. She is also actively involved with Inspiration Corporation, whose work helps individuals and families experiencing homelessness and poverty build greater stability and self-sufficiency.
Beyond her formal community involvement, mentorship has long been an important part of Leahruth’s life. She regularly mentors young women as they navigate education, careers, leadership, and the sometimes-messy process of figuring out what comes next. She believes strongly in the power of opening doors, sharing what you’ve learned, making introductions, and helping others recognize possibilities for themselves that they may not yet see.
For Leahruth, service and mentorship are extensions of the same philosophy that guides her work at UIC: talent and potential are everywhere, but opportunity is not — and each of us has the ability to help change that.
Education
MBA, Columbia Business School, Columbia University, New York City, New York
BA, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota