Overall Experience

Hi Readers, 

I just want to thank all of you for reading and following me throughout my journeys.

This trip overall has been nothing like I ever would have experienced if it wasn’t for Curry College and especially not without Maryann Gallant and Deanna Gordon. I want to thank them for this once in a lifetime opportunity. I cannot be more thankful. I will never forget this trip.

My experience on this trip has been very beneficial to see how these companies actually function and to see how their cultures were. 

Again I cannot thank the Management and Infomration Technology Department enough. I will forever be grateful that I got to partake in such an amazing trip. 

Thank you for following my journeys,

Lauren Brehm

Last Day in Silicon Valley

Hi Readers,

Friday was my last day in Silicon Valley. We visited Aruba Networks, Apple and the computer history museum. It was very bittersweet that this is our last day.

Aruba Networks was one of the most fascinating companies we visited. They have a system within their company that makes everything electronic. Each employee has to download tow apps on their phone in order to use their system. With this system you can get a map of the entire office building and the location of every employee. You can also view which conference rooms are resevered and which are open. When you enter a conference room you can simply put your phone flat on the table and you will be able to reserve the conference room for whenever you would like. Their system is easy and user friendly. While it is still in the process of being created and perfected they still have a few hiccups. This was interesting to see because if their theories come true soon our whole life will be using this system for everything. It is amazing to see this being created before it is out on the market.

Our next stop was Apple. We weren’t allowed to take any photos once we walked through the doors so unfortunately I cannot post any photos. I’m also not sure if I’m allowed to talk about anything they talked to us about so I’ll be brief. This company was probably my favorite of the trip. Brad, who talked to us for the trip, used to work in the Finance department for 30 plus years. We all introduced our majors and ourselves so he knew I was an accounting major. This was very beneficial to me because he then connected a lot of what he explaining to a financial perspective. I hope to keep in contact with him and ask further questions about his experiences.

After both companies, we decided to visit the Computer History Museum. It was intriguing to see how it all started and how it all evolved. After that a few of us decided to explore downtown Palo Alto. What we found was the first ever remotely controlled store. No actual employees worked here, only robots with virtual employees in other states. The robot I mentioned that we saw at Square were the robots running this store. I was so fascinated by this. We are slowly experiencing our world becoming more and more reliant on technology. Eventually this technology will be an everyday household item.

Attached below are pictures from Aruba Networks office space, the sign outside of Apple, and the virtual robot running the store.  

Thank you,

Lauren Brehm

Day Five: Square, Spoke and Moovweb

Hi readers,

Today we traveled out to San Francisco to visit Square, Spoke, and Moovweb. Square is an established company while Spoke and Moovweb are two startup companies.

Square was definitely one of my favorite companies to visit. It got to talk to an employee about his role in the company and it was very interesting. Here's a little background information if you don't know what Square is! Square is a company that provides merchants with a form of mobile payment. He deals with the transactions between the merchants and their customers banks. While he was on the engineering side of it he explained the accounting side and it sparked my interest. I would love to work in a field like that. Square's office was one of my favorites. They had a robot that if you were out sick but needed to attend a meeting, you can drive this robot to the meeting and be virtually present for the meeting. What I loved about the office is they had paintings from the San Francisco MOMA. They get new paintings every three months. In the future I hope to work for a company like Square or work for Square.

Spoke is a recent startup company, they have been open for about a year now. Spoke offers companies a website that enhances their communications internally. It was interesting to see this company because they are so new to the work world. They still have a lot to work on and I hope they become very successful because they have the potential.

Moovweb is a company that makes the transition from a desktop site to a mobile site smoother and easier. Moovweb has a lot of potential as well and I hope they become very successful.

After our visits with these companies, we had free time to explore the beautiful city of San Francisco. We explored Fisherman's Wharf, a few shops, and took a boat ride under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz. Today was probably one of my favorite days.

Tomorrow we will be our last day visiting companies and we are going to see Apple, Aruba Network, and the Computer History Museum.

Below are a few pictures from each company and a few scenic spots in San Francisco.

Thanks for reading,
Lauren Brehm

Day Four: Lockheed Martin, Mofett Field, and Hacker Do Jo

Hi Readers,

While today wasn’t as busy as our other days it was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. We visited Lockheed Martin, Mofett Field, and Hacker Do Jo.

Our first stop was Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin is an American aerospace defense and security manufacture. I’m not 100 percent positive what I am allowed to talk about and what I’m not allowed to talk about, so I’ll give a brief description. We weren’t allowed to bring our phones inside the company so I didn’t get to take any cool pictures. We got to tour how the company made solar panels for satellites and learn about their THADD mission. I really enjoyed exploring this company. It was interesting to see how everything was made and the process it all went through. 

We were supposed to go to Mofett Field and explore the area where blimps were made. Unfortunately  the area was flooded from the rain the week before. Instead we got to visit the NASA Visitor Center, which was nice. 

We visited Hacker Do Jo, which is pretty much an office space where people can come in and work on their projects. They have a "garage" where they had a 3D Printer and a laser machine that cuts wood. This company wasn't as exciting as the other companies but it was still exciting to see. 

Tomorrow we are traveling out to San Francisco which I am excited about. 

Thanks for reading,

Lauren Brehm

Day Three: Progressly, Facebook, and Google

Hi Readers,

Today was a great adventure. We started the day at a startup company called Progressly, and then we went to Facebook and Google. For dinner we met up with some Curry Alumni and went to Bucks of Woodside.

Touring Progressly was very interesting. It was nice to see a company still trying to create a name for themselves. They have been in business for about 2 years now. What I liked most about this company is that every employee introduced themselves and shook our hands. They were all very interested in getting to know us as well as us getting to know them.

The next company we visited, Facebook, was a huge contrast from the start up. When we walked into Facebook it felt like walking on a college campus. The security was very tight going in and once you were in it felt like you were in a downtown city area. There were at least 10 different food options for the employees, a dentist, a medical office, a spa, a barbershop and much more. I really enjoyed the environment of Facebook. The company genuinely cares about their employees and you can tell.

After Facebook we went over to Google. Google had the same feel as Facebook did. They had a very open community with a lot of open space outside their offices to work at as well. Google also had many amenities available to their employees.  They had somewhere between five to ten gyms, volleyball courts, an arcade, many food options and much more. An interesting fact I learned is that if your dog is well behaved you can bring them into work whenever you want. I thought this was a great idea to implement into a company. Their employees can feel more at home and not have to worry about their dog being home alone for a long amount of time. Google was a great company to explore and I loved their environment.

For dinner we met up with some Curry Alumni and some employees from Google and went to Bucks of Woodside. Bucks of Woodside is definitely not a place to miss when visiting Silicon Valley. Bucks of Woodside is a dinner with chotchkies all over the walls and booths. The history behind this American Restaurant is amazing. Many tech companies will come here for lunch and come up with their next big project right at the tables. One company that created their first demos here was PayPal. It was memorable to see where people come from inspiration. It was nice eating with the Curry Alums. We got to talk about their experiences graduating and deciding what to do next. They gave us a lot of advice. It was also fun to talk about how Curry has changed since they have graduated.

Tomorrow we will be touring Lockheed Martin, Mofett Field, and Hacker Do Jo. I am extremely excited to visit these companies and see what goes on behind the scenes.

I’ve attached some pictures below from our adventures today, so take a look at them!

Thank you for reading,

Lauren Brehm

Day Two: SurveyMonkey, Intel, and Microsoft

Hi Readers,

Yesterday was our first day of visiting companies. We got to tour SurveyMonkey, Microsoft, and we went to the Intel Museum and the birthplace of Silicon Valley, The HP Garage. These companies were a great way to start our trip! Both SurveyMonkey and Microsoft had very different work atmospheres. While I enjoyed going to both, SurveyMonkey definitely won me over. 

We first visited the HP Garage. It was very interesting to see this. The garage was where “Silicon Valley” was born. It was a historical place to visit and interesting to see where it all began.

The atmosphere of SurveyMonkey was so open and all the employees had the opportunities to move into different teams they were interested in. We got to talk to the Vice President of Finance and a panel of three newly employees, or “monkeys” as they call them, who just recently graduated college. Talking to these three employees was very beneficial and it made me feel better about life after college. They gave us a lot of helpful hints and told us about their journeys. What I loved most about SurveyMonkey is the feel that all of the employees were there to help everyone else, no one is just there to “show off” with their knowledge. Everyone is helping everyone out and they are growing together as a team. I also really enjoyed the layout of the office. It was all open offices, with glass window conference rooms and a huge cafeteria where everyone gets lunch and mingles with different departments. When I graduate college I hope to be involved with a company like SurveyMonkey.

Our next stop was the Intel Museum. While a lot of the information went right over my head, I had a great time at this museum. It was very interesting to hear how Intel became a company and their journey of how they got to where they are today!

After the Intel Museum, we visited Microsoft. Microsoft had a different feel than SurveyMonkey. We didn’t really get to explore their offices as much but we got to play with some of their fun gadgets! We went to “The Garage”, which is just a tech room where they create new ideas. In here we all got to try on Virtual Reality Glasses and explore the room with these on. It was a great experience.

Overall this was a great way to start off our trip! Today we are going to visit a startup company Progressly, Facebook and Google. For dinner we are going to Bucks of Woodside to have dinner with some of our Curry Alumni. To say I am excited for this day is an understatement! I can’t wait to share my experiences with you later on today!

Below are some pictures of our adventures! 

Thank you!

Lauren Brehm