Career Advising

Stephanie Boomhower

Director
sboomhower@ucsd.edu

Coaching Sector: U.S. public, U.S. government affairs

Stephanie Boomhower joined the GPS Career and Professional Development Center in June 2014. Since 1997, she has worked with graduate students on career development and how to navigate through the internship and career search process, from developing a search plan to negotiating salaries. Her collaborative coaching style focuses on helping students develop a career plan by working to highlight what they want to achieve in their career and developing the skills required to seek out employment opportunities. Boomhower holds a master’s degree in college student personnel and a bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in architecture from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She also has a certificate in human resource management through UC San Diego Extension. Boomhower spent the majority of her childhood living in Asia and various cities throughout the U.S.

Laura Leach

Senior Career Consultant
lleach@ucsd.edu

Laura Leach is a certified career coach and resume writer. With over two decades of experience in technology recruitment, Leach brings a unique twist to coaching. Her specialty is empowering emerging leaders to embark on a purpose-driven career and confidently negotiate the salaries they truly deserve. Leach is renowned for her knack in boosting self-confidence and crafting crystal-clear, action-packed job search strategies.

When Leach is not hiking trails or exploring the latest culinary hotspots, you might catch her attempting surfing with her husband. She also dedicates her time and expertise as a member of the Board of Directors for Phase2Careers, a nonprofit organization for over-40 professionals. With this group, she advocates for pay equity and ending ageism in the workplace, and she shares her wealth of wisdom on effective job search strategies.

Kimberly Higgins

Alumni Career Consultant
kihiggins@ucsd.edu

Kimberly Higgins has successfully partnered with hundreds of professionals to foster and accelerate their career growth. She has spent over 10 years working inside corporations like Qualcomm, Ford Motor Company and TaylorMade-Adidas Golf within a talent development capacity. Higgins has worked as a professional coach with one of the nation’s leading outplacement firms and top-ranked graduate programs, where she leveraged her experience to support mid-career professionals to achieve their career goals through effective branding, tactical resources and relational networking. She is most passionate about helping individuals develop a strategic plan to manage their careers in an ambiguous and constantly changing professional landscape.

Kelly Lim

Associate Director of Employer Engagement
kellylim@ucsd.edu

Kelly Lim joined the GPS Career and Professional Development Center in July 2023 after over 10 years in the private sector. Lim hopes to bring her experience in university recruiting at Twitter, StubHub and Crunchyroll to give students a unique perspective and insight as they seek internships and full-time opportunities. She is most passionate about working with students and helping them find what is next.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Lim is an avid San Francisco Giants, 49ers and Golden State Warriors fan. She loves to travel — and when her favorite team is the visiting team, even better. When she is not attending sporting events, you might find her catching films at the San Diego Asian Film Festival or in the Convoy District drinking boba milk tea.

Kemi Talabi

Associate Director of Employer Engagement
ktalabi@ucsd.edu

Coaching Sector: Private

Kemi Talabi joined GPS Career and Professional Development Center in November 2021. She worked as a Fortune 500 marketing consultant for several years in qualitative market research for new product development, relationship management and corporate social responsibility. She has three years of higher education experience, including recruitment and program coordination at UC San Diego’s Basement. Talabi also has a public health background with over four years of experience in health campaigns, community education and engagement. She holds a master's degree in education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a bachelor's degree of communication, with a specialization in public relations, from Michigan State University. She is presently enrolled in a marketing certificate program at UC San Diego Extension. Talabi has traveled to 13 countries, and she loves exploring international culture and cuisine.

Amber Reinhart

Program Coordinator
areinhart@ucsd.edu

Amber Reinhart holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and English from San Diego State University. She has worked as an event producer and coordinated several large-scale conferences, as well as managed an online C-suite boot camp curriculum for mid-career media and marketing professionals. With a diverse background in publishing, public media and civil litigation, Reinhart effectively creates and facilitates career-related events, programs and workshops to build and support students' professional skill set. In her free time, Reinhart enjoys hiking with her chihuahua and reading Stephen King novels.