Industry Road Trips

A career shaping experience

Today, the professional landscape is rapidly changing, and for our students, seeing is believing.

From Capitol Hill to Wall Street to Silicon Valley, Industry Road Trips are bringing students to the center of some of the most exciting, burgeoning fields. We’re connecting students with alumni from coast to coast who are living their dreams and putting their degrees and talents to work in growing industries like finance, biotech, technology, and entrepreneurship.

Organized and led by the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections, Industry Road Trips provide students with the tools to expand their professional network, deepen their knowledge of career options, and learn firsthand from professionals in diverse organizations and industries.

WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY

“As a sophomore, I had the one-of-a-kind opportunity to visit companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. I gained valuable insight, networked with alums, and saw firsthand how what I’m studying is applied in a real-world industry setting. This experience played a key role in securing my internship last summer as a user experience intern at Apple in Cupertino, California.”

Carolyn Zelicof ’19
Silicon Valley Industry Road Trip Participant

“As a junior, I’m still figuring out what it is I want to do with my life, which can be stressful as graduation approaches. Listening to the speakers and learning more about the variety in career paths made me optimistic about my future—now I know that there are many different ways for me to pursue my passion of helping others.”

Michael Chung ’20
Washington, D.C. Industry Road Trip Participant

“Traveling to Silicon Valley was truly eye-opening—I saw a small startup with a small team working to build something big. They had ambitious goals and a desire to create culture and purpose. It actually inspired me to change my major from electrical and computer engineering to computer science.”

Haytham Mohamed ’20
Silicon Valley Industry Road Trip Participant

When Ada Wightman envisions her future, it’s a career pursuing social good through a non-profit or international peace keeping organization. As a sophomore at the University of Rochester, she recently participated in the Law, Social Good, and Policy Industry Trip in Washington, D.C., an experience that gave her an up-close look at her desired career path.

During the January 2019 trip, Wightman met with politicians, toured a number of charities and non-profit organizations, and even visited the Capitol. “College is the time when career exploration opportunities should be available and easily accessible to students,” she says. “Experiences like these give students the chance to meet real industry professionals and see firsthand the type of career they’re considering.”

While the trip provided one-of-a-kind experiences to network with alumni and immerse herself in Washington’s political culture, Wightman believes industry trips provide students even greater long-term benefits. “By making these resources available, more college students will be able to feel confident and make more informed choices regarding a future career.”

Ada Wightman ’21
Washington, D.C. Industry Road Trip Participant

WHY OUR ALUMNI PARTICIPATE

“These trips go beyond sightseeing. For students, they create networking opportunities that have led to internships and future employment, but for hosts, they are just as beneficial—they provide the opportunity to become aware of, and harness, the exceptional talent coming out of Rochester.”

Gautam Altekar ’04
Silicon Valley Industry Road Trip Alumni Host
Co-founder, Menlo Security, Inc.

It’s been more than 20 years since Arjun Dutt arrived at the University of Rochester from New Delhi in 1996, but he can still recall the undeniable sense of community he felt from day one. It’s that feeling that encouraged him to stay connected to the University long after graduation, this time, as a host for the Greene Center’s Industry Road Trip to Silicon Valley.

Dutt, the former director of NVIDIA’s Inception program, a virtual accelerator that supports deep learning and artificial intelligence startups globally, hosted students at the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters, talking with them about key career skills like building and growing their networks and understanding the unique value they possess. “These trips provide students with insight into the value they can bring to a company,” he says. “Their desire to solve a problem, their intellectual rigor, their passion; value is so much more than the sum of their coursework.”

As a Rochester alum, serving as an industry road trip host was a great way for Dutt to say connected to his alma mater, but as a businessman, it gave him a first-hand look at the wealth of ambitious talent entering the workforce. “Students today are so much more strategic in how they’re developing their careers—it’s really wonderful to see.”

Arjun Dutt ’00
Silicon Valley Industry Road Trip Alumni Host
Former director of Inception, NVIDIA

INDUSTRY, ON THE ROAD

NYC – Finance

Home to Wall Street and the Stock Exchange, New York City offers the perfect backdrop for students exploring opportunities in finance. Students will network with UR alumni, employers, and industry experts while learning about internship and career opportunities in finance by visiting companies like Moelis & Company, J.P.Morgan, Jefferies, Nomura, EY, and Guggenheim Partners.

NYC – Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurial ventures are as eclectic and unique as the city itself. Students will network with UR alumni, employers, and industry experts while learning more about their future as an entrepreneur by visiting companies like WeWork, Company, BioLite Energy, New Labs, HistoWiz, and Cloud9 Smart.

Boston – Biotech

Biotech and healthcare industries have become an increasingly vital part of our society. Students will network with UR alumni, employers, and industry experts while learning about internship and career opportunities in biotech by visiting companies like Bristol-Myers Squibb, Warp Drive Bio, Sanofi Pasteur, Invicro, LabCentral, Seres Therapeutics, and Foundation Medicine.

Silicon Valley – Technology

Silicon Valley is booming and home to some of the most innovative ventures in technology. Students will network with UR alumni, employers, and industry experts while learning about internship and career opportunities in technology by visiting companies like Google, Periscope Data, Intel, Nvidia, KLA-Tencor, Menlo Security, Handshake, Qventus, and Synapse.

Washington, D.C. – Law, Policy and Social Good

Our nation’s capital is the perfect stop for students interested in law, policy, and social good organizations. Students will network with UR alumni, employers, and industry experts with stops at companies like Care USA, The Washington Center, Global Giving, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth’s office, K +L law firm, PYXERA Global, and AEI.

Industry Road Trips provide undergraduate students with the unique opportunity to visit major cities across the country for networking sessions and career exploration in real-life working environments. Here’s how you can make a difference:

Support our mission

Our goal is to make industry road trips accessible to all students who are interested by mitigating financial barriers and offsetting out-of-pocket costs for students. These experiential learning trips are invaluable and transformative, but come with a cost. Help us expand these opportunities by making a gift to the Industry Road Trip program, here.

Make a Gift

Become a host

Our students benefit from experiencing a variety of workplace environments, cultures, and industries. As an industry road trip host, you’ll welcome students into your organization to learn about your company, culture, and opportunities for fulltime or internship roles. Learn more about becoming a host, and other volunteer opportunities, below.

Learn More

Meet our students

Help our students expand their networks. We often have student alumni networking receptions in cities around the world and we love to host our alumni when they come back to Rochester. We want to provide an opportunity for students and alumni to connect.