One Step Closer with Help From AT&T

Recently, my IQuest class went on a field trip to AT&T's job shadow day at their San Ramon Offices. After a short introduction speech on what to expect out of the day, the students were split up into small groups and placed with one of the generous employee's who gave up their time to teach us a little about their business. I got placed in a group with 2 other Cal High students and we were with Al Martinez, an IT technician. He began our tour by taking us to the 4th floor and explained how large the company was.

After giving a brief history of his time at AT&T he showed us to his office and explained how he got to where he was today. We also got to ask him any questions that came to mind. I asked if he had always wanted to be a part of AT&T, if he was hired right after college, and if he had wanted to pursue engineering his whole life. His surprised me when he said he had never really thought about joining this company and he got picked out at a smaller company right out of college. Also, when he got hired by AT&T he was trained to do something his major hardly contributed to.

We also got to go see a brand name and trademark seminar and a Telepresence conference. In these seminars we got to learn the importance of making a name for your brand and we even touched on some legal infringement issues. Afterwards we got to play a game where we had to guess the companies by their icon or logo. At the Telepresence conference we got to see how the company can conference call, with video, other workers in different buildings, states, or even counties! The technology was astounding and I thought it was a great chance to see how far we've come from letters to video calls!

I thought this field trip was a great help for any IQuest student because it gave us a glimpse at what working life could be like. It fits perfectly with what IQuest has to offer and my mentor, Al Martinez, taught helped us realize we may do one job, and end up in a different career AND turn out to still be successful! Although I thought the day was a great experience, I would have liked to see how our mentors do their current job, even if it is a little difficult. It was nice to see how the company flowed but we really didn't get the opportunity to learn how they manage to do their jobs. Either way I would go on that field trip again if I had the chance.

One Step Closer with Some Guidance.

In IQuest we were asked to pick a California High School staff member as our mentor outside of our internship. My first choice was my choir teacher Ms. Mottaz (Mow-tah), or just Mottaz as the students call her, because she has always been a bit of a mentor while I've been at Cal High. I have been in Mottaz's choir classes all four years in high school because it is such a rewarding class; We work hard then we travel to sing and explore cities like New York, Boston, and Washington D.C. We would never get to experience any of these wonderful moments if it weren't for all her dedication and hard work toward her choir programs.

In November I met with Mottaz and we talked all about IQuest and what I was planning on doing for the rest of my senior year. I explained to her what I was doing and how I was meeting with Mr. Shaw, another one of her student's father, and she commended me for going into such a hard field. We talked about how even a small foot in the door, such as the one I currently have, is a great opportunity to become a part of such powerful company.

We then talked about college and where I was applying to. At that point I was almost done with applications and now I am completely finished and can confirm that I applied to all of the colleges I told her I was planning on applying to. Because many of her past students come back and talk about their experiences at college, she gave me very helpful advice on what to look out for when making a final decision on where to spend the next four years of my life.

Next meeting I hope to talk more about the project that I am currently working on. Also, I hope that I can talk to her about some college responses that I will have received by then!

Unfortunately, I can't find a picture of just the two of us from past choir trips even though they are somewhere out there. I'll keep my eye out.