A group of keen Trinity College School business students had a wonderful experience travelling to Silicon Valley, the epicentre of the global technology and innovation sector, located near San Francisco, California. Students were able to spend time with TCS alumni, learning about everything from venture capitalism to cybersecurity.
When we arrived on Thursday, we headed to Section32 to meet with alumnus Andy Harrison ’94 and his team to learn about venture capitalism and the future of artificial intelligence, healthcare and technology. We also met with Andrew Boos ’07, who spoke about his experience with venture capitalism. We then capped off the first day cheering on the San Francisco Giants as they beat the Diamondbacks.
On Friday, we headed to Google to meet with Don Harrison ’90. He spoke about his career path and gave us insights into what it is like to work for the most popular search engine in the world. He gave us details about his professional experience in mergers and acquisitions, marketing and sustainability. The students asked so many meaningful questions!
We then headed to Okta to visit Stephen Lee ’90. He was one of the first people to join Okta, which now has a market capitalization of over US$15 billion. The main topics of discussion were cybersecurity and identity management for corporations. Stephen also took us on a tour of the company’s workspace to discuss how it is designed to build community within the corporation.
That evening, our students attended a TCS social, where they had an opportunity to network and listen to an alumni panel discussion. In attendance were alumni ranging from the class of 1973 through to 2021. We had to pull the students away at the end of the evening, as they happily connected with our alumni.
Saturday was the day to stop by and visit the grounds of some of the largest tech companies in the world. We took a bus tour with stops at Meta, Google and Apple. We also spent a couple of hours touring the beautiful campus of Stanford University! We then went back to San Francisco to visit Pier 39, with views of the famous sea lions, Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. The day ended with a tour of the alleys of Chinatown.
All too soon we were packing our bags, spending our last bit of free time at the local mall, and then heading to the airport. The students were social, professional and engaged throughout the trip. They took advantage of every opportunity to ask questions and get involved.
Reflecting on the experience, student Nicolas C. noted that the group learned about “investment strategies and the importance of being curious in acquiring new information, and how becoming interesting to others can get you far... We were fortunate to have received advice like ‘be adventurous and take on risks to advance in your career,’ learning about the world of venture capitalism, where you have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable and ever-changing start-up environment… The experiences and advice these alumni shared are eye-opening and will stay with our group for our entire life, and we are already reminiscing about our time in California.”
The students have had a very unique and special experience learning about the world of business and technology. Our thanks to the philanthropy & alumni office, and to the many alumni who shared their insights and experiences with our students.
- By Luke O'Connell & Peter Mao, social sciences department
