2023 Summary Report
In May 2023, a group of 12 MSU students embarked on a trip to Silicon Valley and San Francisco. Through company visits and engaging discussions, we delved into Silicon Valley culture, expanding our horizons and fostering personal growth. Join us as we retrace some of the highlights from our trip:
In the Clouds
What were the most memorable moments from the trip?
What were your favorite visits/events during the trip?
By The Numbers
Valuable Connections:
Our participants made an impressive average of 7.92 LinkedIn connections (SD = 0.86) outside of their MSU network. One attendee made 20 connections as a result of this trip.
New Friends:
Beyond professional connections, our attendees formed an average of 4.42 new likely-to-be-close friends during this trip. These bonds, formed in just a matter of a week have become an invaluable source of support and growth for our attendees.
Trip Enjoyment and Inspiration:
Our group made many memories on this trip. 100% of attendees reported strongly or extremely (4 or 5 on a 5-pt scale) enjoying the trip. In addition, 83% felt strongly or extremely inspired during the trip.
Self Reflection:
100% of attendees believed the trip was extremely relevant to their personal self reflection. This trip provided our group with the space to feel inspiration and reflect on our lives, paving the way for personal growth and transformation.
Walking:
On average, we walked a mean of 8580.83 steps per day with a standard deviation of 4404.08 steps per day.
Attendee Feedback
Relevance to career/major planning and academic/intellectual growth:
“Meeting with Immergo was one of my favorite events because I have an interest in healthcare being implemented into IT and VR.”
“I really liked the experiences where the people we spoke to were honest, helpful in the sense of how to take your journey, and how you need to work hard to get where you want to be.”
“I also really like[d] the talk we got from Salesforce because I enjoyed their perspectives and advice to us for starting out careers.”
Bonding with our peers and growing together:
“The time spent bonding with the other students from the trip was just as valuable as the time spent meeting with the different companies. They added to my career knowledge and my social growth.”
New Friends:
“In only a matter of a week, I formed connections with people closer than a good chunk of the friends I have now.”
Trip Enjoyment:
“...[the bagel picnic was my favorite] because everyone there was most relevant to my energy. It was so beautiful there, the food was busting, and I had really good conversations with those present. I just wish I had more time to talk to more people! But the conversations were also the most relevant to me and my career, and were inspirational. I liked how it was informal but still informational and scenic, LOL the perfect balance”
Memorable moments:
“Late nights with [my peers and] Robby. Spending time with certain members of Robby's network 1 on 1. Self-reflection.”
“The evening conversations I had with [my friends] while watching Netflix and playing games together.”