Happy Trekking!

By: Meredith Aronson, Career Center

What a busy fall semester! Here at the Career Center & GAMP, we just wrapped up a very successful Spokane Trek Week in mid-October—a week full of events such as our Speed Mock Interviews, two of the biggest Career Fairs we have ever hosted, and Spokane Corporate Excursions to some amazing local companies. So we took a few minutes to celebrate a week of facilitating amazing connections between students and potential employers, but then we got right back to work. We are now gearing up for our next round of Treks, this time to Portland and Seattle! So, while your student is home basking in home-cooked dinners and family bonding time, why not use the opportunity to encourage a little career development?

The Trek program is designed to engage students in career development and networking opportunities with alumni and potential employers in key metro areas (currently Spokane, New York, Portland, Seattle, and the Bay Area). Through the Treks, students get to meet recruiters and learn about internship and job opportunities at the career fair, visit exciting and innovative companies on a corporate excursion, and network with employers and alumni over dinner. In an effort to create opportunities for all students, regardless of class year or major, we have put together a wide range of corporate excursions. This year, students will have the opportunity to visit the following companies:

In Portland on Tuesday, January 7^th:

• Nike
• Fisher Investments & Cambia Health Solutions
• Widmer Brewing Company & Mondelez Bakery
• Columbia Sportswear & Portland Trail Blazers
• Oregon Health Sciences University
• McKinstry & HDR Engineering

In Seattle on Thursday, January 9^th:

• Amazon & Zillow
• Microsoft
• Boeing
• Starbucks & Nordstrom
• Gates Foundation Visitors Center
• Publicis Groupe, including MSL Group, PBJS, and Razorfish
• Artist Trust & Davidson Galleries
• Liberty Mutual & Russell Investments

We also invite parents and families to attend several of our Trek events! Below is the itinerary for both Treks, with asterisks next to the events in which we welcome parent participation:

	Portland	Seattle
*Women in Leadership Symposium (women only) 8:00 – 10:00 am	DoubleTree by Hilton, Lloyd Center, Sellwood Room	The Renaissance Hotel, Vista Room
Career Fair 10:00 am – 12:00 pm	DoubleTree by Hilton, Lloyd Center	The Renaissance Hotel
Lunch with Career Fair Employers 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Corporate Excursions 1:00 – 5:00 pm
*Alumni Networking Social 5:30 – 6:30 pm	Nike Headquarters, Main Lobby, Tiger Woods Center	The Renaissance Hotel, Maxwell’s Café 2nd Floor
*Dinner and Program 6:30 – 8:00 pm	Nike Headquarters, Bay Hill/Wollaston Room, Tiger Woods Center	The Renaissance Hotel, Madison Ballroom

For more information about the Treks, please feel free to share my contact information with your student, or direct them to our website. Your student can register on ZagTrax.net, or you can register them here: https://gonzaga-csm.symplicity.com/events/ (please note, there is a $35 fee to participate in each of the cities, or $60 to participate in both). To register for our events welcoming parents, please visit these links: www.zagsonline.org/PortlandTrek2015 or www.zagsonline.org/SeattleTrek2015.

Registration is open now. Happy Trekking!