November 12, 2019 | Graham-Kapowsin HS and Bethel HS at Hulu | by Kelly Woyak, GKHS Career Specialist
On Nov. 12, 25 IGNITE students from Graham-Kapowsin and Bethel High Schools took a field trip to Hulu. “Hulu” means “box of secrets” or “something cool.” That was evident from the moment we stepped into the building. The old building in downtown Seattle had character and the people were friendly, welcoming, and busy being passionate about what they do!
Our wonderful hostess, Wendy Grus, led us on a tour of the office. We all loved the horse, as well as all the cool pictures of employees on the walls…each new employee gets a 15 minute photo shoot! Zane Teh showed us around the 10th floor, and we learned about the Living Room Team, which works on what you see as an app icon from your TV.
Hulu has offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, and Bejing. The Seattle office is preparing to move to a larger space because they have outgrown their current location. We are very grateful that they hosted us with everything going on!
After the tour the girls had the opportunity to create their own television project, and the engagement, participation and enthusiasm was a treat to see. They loved brainstorming ideas, interacting with Hulu professionals, and being empowered to share ideas and visions. We saw leaders, we saw strong “behind the scenes” support, and we saw great teamwork - all important elements of their future professional lives!
After attending this event:
77%
of girls/non-binary students are more interested in STEM
77%
of girls/non-binary students want to continue attending IGNITE events
64%
of girls/non-binary students want to investigate taking a STEM related course next semester
86%
of girls/non-binary students want to study harder to attend college and further their education
Here's what the students enjoyed most:
"I really enjoyed hearing their personal stories and thoughts on STEM careers. Also, I loved the activity and how it sparked my interest in wanting to do it more. I loved it!"
- 10th grade
"Gave insight of how to get into the software industry. This inspired me to be a part of this. Making products was fun and inspired me to be creative."
- 10th grade
"It was very interesting learning about their jobs and how they got there. How they didn't give up and how hard they worked. It was great!"
- 10th grade
"The tour was really nice, it made me not feel self-conscious working in a big business."
- 10th grade
"I enjoyed learning about the workers' experience. It inspired me to work harder."
- 10th grade
"The tour - it made me see how collaborative tech companies are and how they function."
- 11th grade
"The very little amount of females. I enjoyed working with other people in this career path."
- 10th grade
"I liked coming up with our own 'invention.'"
- 10th grade
"Getting to talk with real-life professional women in STEM careers. It was great!"
- 10th grade
"Learning about the ladies' everyday roles. Knowing that they have fun!"
- 10th grade
"I enjoyed learning about the different jobs you could get in technology."
- 10th grade
"How we got to design our products. Learning about backstories."
- 10th grade
"I enjoyed the panel and was inspired by the women on it. It was great!"
- 9th grade
"The discussion on women in STEM was interesting."
- 10th grade