The Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool) sent 12 students to Silicon Valley in California during the University’s spring break to visit technology startups and businesses.
“I’m extremely grateful to the staff and the iSchool at Syracuse University for this trip,” says iSchool graduate student Elizabeth Ruscitto G’12. “Even if I had spent a month out in Silicon Valley on my own, I would not have been able to have the level of access, hold as meaningful conversations or create new networks as I did during the five days of spring break in Silicon Valley.”
Ruscitto was just one student who tweeted and blogged about her experiences visiting the businesses on the tour, including LinkedIn, The Technology Museum of Innovation, eBay, Shasta Ventures, 500 Startups, Facebook, Google, Dictionary.com, Delivery Agent, LiveFyre and Klout.
She accompanied iSchool students Mone Clark ’14, Steve Marquez ’11, Hillary Maxwell ’11, Anne Marie Suchanek ’13, and Richard Tehan ’11; Jason Blanck G’12 of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications; Terence Nip ’14 and Jeffrey Sweeney ’12 of the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science; Barbara Rodriguez G’11 of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; Daniel Russell ’11 and Matthew Werbeck ’11 of Le Moyne College; iSchool director of West Coast Relationships Shay Colson; and iSchool director of Undergraduate Recruitment Julie Walas.
“It was really good, especially because I’m from New York City, to see the way the West Coast handles business,” says Suchanek.“I saw work environments and philosophies on both the work-life balance and going green you just don’t see on the East Coast. Now I have to convince my parents to let me go there for an internship.”
The group tweeted their way through offices, meeting with employees to hear about their experiences working for the various companies in Silicon Valley and spotting Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg working on his computer.
“With every stop the students were able to not only see, but experience the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Silicon Valley,” says Walas. “While exciting, this environment and the trip in general really challenged students to step out of their comfort zones and ask themselves some tough questions about their own future plans. It was incredible to watch their development over the five days we were together and witness the group learn and grow together.”
Derek Davis had not been on the Syracuse University campus more than a week in 2015 before being swept up in the excitement of a once-in-a-lifetime discovery that would thrill the astrophysics world and thrust the gravitational-wave research community onto…
The Southeast ADA Center, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, is co-hosting a free 2019 Accessible Technology Webinar Series. The kick-off webinar, “Accessibility and Inclusion in K-12 Computer Science (CS) Education: Meeting the Needs of Students…
What catches your eye on the Syracuse University campus—a beautiful sunset over campus, a cool class project or time spent on the Shaw Quad? Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources….
Harriet Brown, magazine professor in the Newhouse School, was interviewed by the Washington Post for the article, “Women’s magazines are dying. Will we miss them when they’re gone?” “At a time when mainstream media didn’t pay attention to issues that…
Charles Driscoll, University Professor of Environmental Systems and Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was interviewed by The Guardian for an article about rolling back toxic mercury pollution standards. The move by the Trump administration is part of a…
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
