Road Trip: Bay Area Edition
At Penn Engineering Online, we’re committed to ensuring our students not only have opportunities to study and thrive as members of our worldwide online community — but we also facilitate opportunities for classmates to connect in-person and expand their networks.
That’s the spirit behind our Road Trips: a program designed by our Career Services team to bring our online graduate students and alumni together for in-person professional development opportunities and community-building events. From coast to coast, these trips provide students with the opportunity to visit prominent tech employers, meet company insiders, and establish meaningful relationships with peers in their area.
In July 2025, our team headed to the Bay Area to host a four-day Road Trip. Forty-one students joined us for company visits, networking workshops, and alumni socials.
Road Trip Ready: Networking Kick-Off Event
San Jose | July 14
The week kicked off with a relaxed networking session over light bites in San Jose. Students connected with one another, practiced their elevator pitches, and got valuable advice from Penn Engineering Career Services about how to make the most of the week’s events.
Nuro
Mountain View | July 15
At Nuro, 24 students toured the facilities, learned about the tech behind automotive vehicles and the automation loop through a tech talk, heard from the Nuro recruiting team about career opportunities and the interview process, and connected with Penn alumni working at Nuro to learn more about the organization and how to stand out in the talent pool. Six current employees, representing roles such as Software Engineering, Product Management, Embedded Software Engineer, and Data Science, shared industry advice and information about their career journeys. The session ended with a demonstration of one of their products, an automotive vehicle and how it’s able to deliver goods to clients. Thank you to Nuro Software Engineer Qingqing Cao (MCIT Online ’22), who was our alumni host for this event.
NVIDIA
Santa Clara | July 15
The afternoon visit to NVIDIA focused on AI computing, graphics processing units (GPUs), application programming interfaces (APIs), and more. Students heard from the Technical Recruiting team about recruitment opportunities and company culture, and participated in a career panel with two alumni who shared their journeys into roles at NVIDIA and their experiences at the company. Thank you to NVIDIA Senior Technical Product Marketing Manager Chen Su (CBE ’14), who was our alumni host for this event.
Meta
Menlo Park | July 16
Meta hosted 25 of our students for an immersive experience at their Menlo Park headquarters. From rooftop gardens to arcade spaces, students got a behind-the-scenes look at Meta’s work culture. Thank you to the six-person panel of alumni, who shared perspectives on navigating the tech industry, including Sarah Ye, Meta Data Scientist (MSE-DS ’22), who was our alumni host for this event.
Silicon Valley Meet Up: Student and Alumni Social
July 16
Hosted by Penn Engineering’s Development and Alumni Relations team, this evening brought together current students and alumni in Silicon Valley for an opportunity to gather, network, and mingle. Thank you to Bradley Richards and the DAR team for making this event possible!
Mountain View | July 17
The final stop of the Road Trip took 38 students to Google’s campus in Mountain View. The visit began with an engaging session led by a Developer Relations staff member, who shared insights on how AI is rapidly shaping the future of software engineering—and what students can do to position themselves for success in a constantly evolving tech landscape. This was followed by a panel discussion featuring two Penn Engineering Online alumni, now working at Google in Software Engineering and Product Management roles, and the Developer Relations staff member. Together, they offered valuable perspectives on their day-to-day work at Google and shared actionable advice on how to navigate the application and interview process at a company of Google’s scale. After the panel, students were taken on a tour of the Google campus before gathering for lunch with their hosts—an opportunity to continue conversations and expand their professional networks. Thank you to Google Software Engineer Beka Modebadze (MCIT Online ’23), who was our alumni host for this event.
Powered by Alumni
This Road Trip wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and generosity of our alumni hosts. Each site visit was made possible by a Penn Engineering graduate who worked behind the scenes to connect us with recruiters and build meaningful programming for our current students.
We’re also grateful to our employer partners and their teams for welcoming us into their spaces and investing their time and insight into our students’ futures.
At Penn Engineering Online, we believe that studying online should not mean studying alone. We not only commit to providing our online graduate students with an Ivy League diploma and a flexible, accessible virtual learning experience — we offer an expansive portfolio of student support, including a dedicated Career Service team. Professional development opportunities like our Road Trip program are a great example of the unique resources that differentiate Penn Engineering from other online programs.
Stay tuned—another Road Trip could be coming to a city near you!