Twenty-one Monterey Institute student participated in a career-focused “trek” to Palo Alto and Oakland organized by Career and Academic Advisor Ted Bouras last Friday. “It was very valuable to be able to talk with professionals in their place of work,” says Jamie Shirreff (MBA/IEP ’14), adding that, because many were MIIS graduates, it was interesting to hear how their education had prepared them. Alumni also offered recommendations on how they made the most of their educational experience to help them not only get the job, but perform well in their positions.
This is the second business-focused bus tour to the Silicon Valley coordinated by Bouras in collaboration with the MBA Student Association, and judging by the positive reception it looks like he has started a tradition. All students are invited to participate. In March, students visited Cisco and SolarCity and ended the day at a networking event with close to fifty alumni in San Francisco. On Friday, the group visited various organizations with sustainability as the central tour theme: the Stanford University Office of Sustainability and Energy Management, Sungevity, and Fair Trade USA.
“Treks add a lot of value to the overall student experience,” shares Bouras. “They bring alumni and students together and enhance the career exploration process by providing students with a glimpse inside organizations and careers they might not otherwise have thought to consider.”
First year MBA student Cara Hagan (MBA ’15) summed up her experience: “My favorite part was seeing Nathalie and the other MIIS alumni working together at Fair Trade USA. I could feel a sense of the MIIS community among them as well as among us. It showed the value of networking and being able to reach out to our alumni network!”
The Center for Advising and Career Services is planning more treks for the next semester as well as a career focused trip to Washington DC over spring break.