High-Tech Heaven

Fourteen CMC students with interests in careers in technology were selected to attend the Second Annual Silicon Valley Information Technology Advisory Board Networking Trip, held during the last week of winter break. Nearly a full seven days in its itinerary, the Jan. 7-12 excursion provided students an opportunity to explore the diversity of career paths in the realm of technology through contact with CMC alumni, parents, and friends working in Silicon Valley at Applied Materials, Cisco, Sun Microsystems, Google, Yahoo!, and Weston Presidio.

Participants not only received executive tours of participating companies, but also interacted with alumni in technology fields such as law, management, finance, human resources, and programming—ideally paving the way for summer internships and full-time job opportunities in the Silicon Valley.

"The trip showed us an insider's view of technology companies, as well as where CMC graduates are today," participant Rachael Maltiel '09 said.

The Information Technology Advisory Board sponsors the annual trip which—in addition to tours hosted by CMC alumni—includes a reception for the Silicon Valley chapter of the Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association.

Selection and preparation are no small feat. Students apply for the trip, and those who make the competitive cut are greeted with a series of rigorous exercises to ready them, not limited to research assignments, observations, exercises in leadership skills, oral communication drills, and debriefing sessions similar to seminar discussions.

"We think of it as a class," says CMC's Chief Technology Officer Cynthia Humes, who, along with associate professor of mathematics James Pinter-Lucke, associate professor of mathematics and computer science Arthur Lee, and CMC Trustee and chair of the Information Technology Advisory, Board Barton Evans '70, reviewed and approved this year's applications. "With this program, we want to simulate the kind of small class environment students have at CMC."

Practice for social interactions with alumni extended to the smallest of details, such as reviewing a guest list of those expected to attend the trip's concluding reception, hosted in conjunction with the Silicon Valley Chapter of the CMCAA. (Final attendance included a crowd of more than 100 alumni, many of whom stayed beyond closing time.)

Humes says such informal occasions can be especially useful for students: "Some of the most insightful conversation takes place when everyone lets their hair down and people are just hanging out."

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A "clean-room" at Applied Materials, a company specializing in the production, marketing, and servicing of machinery used in the manufacturing of semiconductors.

Paper booties are required to reduce the risk of airborne contaminants.

Cisco’s “telepresence” abilities allowed for life-sized images of students in a separate room to be beamed onto video screens in the main conference room, making it possible for everyone to “attend” a mock meeting.

A farewell dinner hosted by ITAB chaperones concluded the four-day networking trip.

An inspired moment with students and corporate host Jonathan Rosenberg '83, senior vice president of product management and marketing for Google.