Everett Middle School at Verizon Media

Thursday, February 5, 2020 | Everett Middle School at Verizon Media| by Luther Cuffy, IGNITE Teacher

The Verizon Media Group is located in Sunnyvale California. Despite a brief moment of confusion while en route, we arrived slightly behind schedule. Nonetheless, our hosts were very flexible and understanding. Our first activity was a brief introduction by Alison. We were shown a mashup video that touched on all of the projects (past, present, and future).
After the informational session, students were divided into small groups and given a small introductory task based on the media mash up they reviewed. The groups were given a mock advertisement or product and asked to specify the demographics of the target group, the type of marketing campaign (online, commercial, newspaper, give aways, etc). Once completed, students shared out the various ideas they came up with. After the share out, students were taken on a tour through the various departments (marketing, cellular, wireless, etc). The tour included a brief introduction into the newest departmental project and the target audience/demographic.
After the tour, lunch was provided and students were given access to the large dining hall on campus. Our hosts reserved three large tables for the group. The food options were amazing and healthy.
The last activity involved interacting with a panel of professionals and discussing the various moves and obstacles faced along the way.
This particular trip was very informative and gave us all a better idea of the work that goes into reaching target audiences, product development. We are very thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow from this experience and hope to continue this relationship in the future.

 

After attending this event:

100%

of girls/non-binary students are more interested in STEM

82%

of girls/non-binary students want to continue attending IGNITE events

Here's what the students enjoyed most:

I enjoyed when the women came and talked to us and got us interested in joining the tech team. - Grade 6

I enjoyed the food! - Grade 6

I learned a lot from people's experience. - Grade 7

I was inspired by the exercise during the event. - Grade 8

I was inspired by the panel at the end of the day. - Grade 8

I loved everything! - Grade 7