a major Los Angeles university
11 AM–3 PM · meridianventura.com
The leaders come to you.
Meridian is a free, student-run conference that puts university students from across Los Angeles face to face with founders, executives, and industry leaders. Rather than students lining up to introduce themselves, the leaders work the room and come to the students.
It is built and run by a UC Berkeley undergraduate from Oxnard. The first event, in December 2025, brought about 150 students together with leaders from Netflix, OpenAI, and Chase Bank. It returns November 14, built for 400.
December 2025
The first event
About 150 students walked into a room with leaders from Netflix, OpenAI, and Chase Bank. Not for a lecture. For direct, face-to-face conversations with people who could open a real door. December 2025 was the first Meridian, and the proof of what November 14 is built on.
“I had an amazing time speaking on my experience and being able to hear the experiences of so many other talented individuals.”Adriel Miramontes, Journalist and Host, The Adriel Show
@theadrielshow on Instagram
“It was refreshing to hear directly from young people already making waves. I walked out feeling inspired and empowered to do the same.”Jade Tran, UCLA, Class of 2025
Jade Tran on LinkedIn
The mission
Reverse gatekeeping.
Saturday, November 14, 2026 · a major Los Angeles university · Free for every student
The rooms that change a person's path should not require a last name or a zip code to enter. Meridian brings students face to face with the founders, executives, and leaders who usually sit on the other side of that door.
It is built for university students from across Los Angeles, with high school students from Ventura County invited. It is free for every student who attends. No gatekeepers and no one in the room you could not walk up to.
A meridian is the highest point in the arc, and the line that connects where you are to where you are going. For a student who never thought they could sit in a room with leaders from Netflix or OpenAI, Meridian is that line.
Every young person here deserves access to rooms that can change their path.
The day
What the day looks like
Rather than students lining up to introduce themselves, the leaders work the room and come to the students. Founders and executives attend to meet students directly, and each one commits to offering something concrete: an introduction, a referral, a direct line in.
Doors open
Students arrive, get their name, and find their footing before the floor fills.
Check-in, portraits, ask cards
Every student sits for a real portrait they keep. Then they fill an ask card: what they are looking for, and who they want to meet. The card stays on them all day, so a leader can walk up already knowing why.
The open floor
No stage to wait behind. The leaders move through the room and come to the students. Partner organizations run stations you can walk up to, and hosts keep the floor moving so no one is left standing alone.
Keynote conversations
A few leaders, in conversation instead of scripted speeches. Each one says out loud the specific favor they are putting on the table that day.
Direct access and the 30-second favor
The center of the day. Leaders move between small groups and act on the ask cards on the spot: an introduction, a referral, a direct line in. The whole room is built to make a small favor easy to give and impossible to forget.
The close
Before they leave, every student is entered into the Meridian network with a standing way to ask for help, and will hear from Meridian within two weeks. The follow-up is our job, not theirs.
In-N-Out, on us
Most conferences end over food. Ours does too. When the day wraps, anyone who wants to is invited to come get In-N-Out with us.
One wall in the room fills through the day. Every favor a leader gives gets written up and posted as it happens, so the access is not a promise. It is on the wall, in front of everyone, by the time the day ends.
Through the General Atomics Sciences Education Foundation, students get a hands-on aerospace engineering lab. Real building, not a talk.
Beyond the day
It does not end at 3 PM
A standing network
- Students join an ongoing network, not a one-off event.
- Every attendee is a member by default, with a closer community for those who want to stay active.
- For leaders and partners, the connection stays part of the network after the event.
Content, start to finish
- Before: the build and the lead-up are documented.
- During: a portrait for every student, candid interviews, and leaders on camera, with every favor posted to the Favor Wall.
- After: a recap film, and each student receives their own media to keep and share.
The follow-through
- Every student is put forward for a real connection and hears from Meridian within two weeks.
- The work of delivering on it sits with Meridian and our partners.
- What comes back is concrete: an introduction, a referral, or a direct line to someone who can help.
Partners
Who is behind it
The General Atomics Sciences Education Foundation is funding Meridian, and bringing a hands-on aerospace engineering lab to the day. Students build something real, not sit through a talk.
More partners and the leaders joining them will be named here as they are confirmed.
Jaxton Bruce Wright, founder
The founder
Jaxton Bruce Wright
Founder, Meridian Conference
Jaxton Bruce Wright is a UC Berkeley undergraduate from Oxnard. He built Meridian because the rooms that change a person's path should not require a last name or a zip code to enter.
The first event, in December 2025, brought about 150 students face to face with leaders from Netflix, OpenAI, and Chase Bank. Not for a lecture. For direct conversations, and the introductions and referrals that followed.
On November 14, Meridian returns to a major Los Angeles university, built for 400 students from across Los Angeles, with high school students from Ventura County invited. Free for every student who attends.
Support
Who helped build this
George Leis
Chairman, YMCA of the USA / Executive Vice President, CalPrivate Bank
George Leis was among the first to believe in this conference and in the person building it. He personally donated $1,000 to make the first event possible. Every time Jaxton is in town, they meet, without exception. He was present at Jaxton's high school graduation. His investment in Meridian Conference is a direct extension of his investment in what young people from this community are capable of.
Contact
Reach out directly
For leaders who want to be in the room, partners, anyone who wants to help build it, or a student with a question. This is where it starts.