Reflection on Silicon Valley 2019 EDI Summer Experience by Maguire McMahon

    This week has been a fun one. There were ups. There were downs. As a cohort we all bonded and learned more about ourselves and our friends. My favorite part of the trip was sitting down with Norfolk Academy alumni Michael Dekshenieks. Mr. Dekshenieks was a former football player, lacrosse player, and wrestler, and continued to play lacrosse at the University of Virginia. He participated in the ROTC program at UVA and then became a midshipman in the Navy for 6 years. After he left the Navy, he went to grad school and then out west to do consulting with start ups. I enjoyed my conversation with him greatly and learned a lot about ROTC, college, start ups, and life. It was particularly helpful for me because I am interested in ROTC and also the University of Virginia so I was able to ask very specific questions about his experience. 

    Additionally, I enjoyed our visit of Autodesk. Autodesk is a company that specializes in technology you would probably see in movies. From the tallest building in the world, to 3D printed shoes, they do it all. The thing that differentiates them from other companies is their variety. They focus on three field: architecture, video game design, and product design. No other companies attempts to tackle all three of these branches which makes Autodesk very cool. 

    This trip has been a fun one and prepared the EDI senior and junior class for a fun school year focusing on housing.

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