Trek Days: Big Days Out

Dec 5

In October EdOdyssey partnered with Northeastern Oakland to create and coordinate Trek Days; an ambitious two-day event with the goal of providing over 800 first year students unique opportunities to experience the renowned creative and entrepreneurial landscape of the Bay Area.

Following dynamic and varied itineraries, NU Oakland students were able to see and feel the surrounding area, where they now call home, come alive for them in exciting new ways.

Business+ Community Connections

Students visited multiple innovative and world-changing companies, startups, government orgs and nonprofits, while following one of three trek paths:
(1) Technology, Ethics, & Creativity, (2) Sustainability, (3) Health and Wellbeing.

Thirty one companies and organizations hosted events for Trek Days and over 100 professionals and leaders interacted with students. Each day was full of learning as well as moments that sparked curiosity and inspiration.

Special Highlights

During Trek Day 1, students:

Explored cutting-edge facilities at biotechnology company Checkerspot.
Engaged with hands on learning at T-Mobile, including building their own cell tower models in groups.
Spoke with leaders from Kapor Capital about bringing inclusive tech to marginalized communities.
Learned about Kaiser Permanente’s legacy and mission as a leading healthcare company.
Viewed the organic garden that Farmscape maintains and the fresh produce Stem Kitchen + Garden incorporates in their menu.
Experienced the bustling transportation and trade activity at the Port of Oakland.

On Day 2, students:

Toured TCHO Chocolate production facilities while hearing about important topics related to chocolate sourcing, including environmental impact and sustainability. They also put their tastebuds to the test, sampling different chocolates to identify flavor notes and complexity.
Spoke one-on-one with Google leaders after visiting the campus and attending an interesting panel on technology, creativity, ethics, business growth, and AI.
Dressed the part for safety while observing project sites and hearing from Turner Construction company about being a leading international builder in diverse market segments.
Suited up in PPE at Onto Innovation to get an up close view of critical production processes in the semiconductor value chain.

Student Experiences AND iMPACT

Trek Days made a lasting impression on student attendees.
In participation surveys conducted after the events several students shared reflections on how Trek Days energized and impacted them:

NU Oakland student Sarah M. said of her experience, “[Trek Days] showed me firsthand what I can do. I feel like it can be very helpful to see role models in front of you, and it helped me understand what real world careers can result from my college education”.

Student Theresa K. agreed and noted “I [saw an example of] a women of color start her own company and be successful, which was inspirational”.

Thanawan N. thought Trek Days helped them navigate their interests and future career opportunities.

When polled on Trek Days overall:

-96% of students believed the event opened their eyes to potential career paths and sectors.

-91% thought Trek Days helped clarify what they were interested in studying.

-95% said Trek Days made them feel motivated about a particular area of work.

-96% agreed the experience made them excited for future experiential work opportunities.

Collaboration for student success

Largescale, well coordinated teamwork went into making each Trek Day successful.

Trek Days 2023 truly exemplified the power of place and brought people together; over 900 people were involved in this special event. EdOdyssey is proud to have partnered with Northeastern Oakland and every single company/ individual collaborator to create and run such a quality learning experience for students!