Remember Patricija? A girl who participated in the Algebra Buddy program at Algebra University and got the chance to learn more about innovation and entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley? After she spent two weeks with us in America, it’s time to share her impressions below!
What are your first three associations when you hear the word America? For me, it’s food, the ocean, and Starbucks. But, America is much more than that. My first big trip ever was to the ABC BootCamps program in California, USA, which lasted two weeks. The journey to America took over 20 hours, but it was totally worth it. Each day was incredibly well-planned and fulfilling, and we also had free time to enjoy as we pleased.
Company visits
We had an incredible professor – Laszlo Gyorffy – whose daily lectures were never boring. He was brimming with knowledge and eagerly shared it with us. In addition to him, we had several guest speakers who covered topics I never expected to hear about. I’m proud of myself for learning so many new things. Of course, there are some ups and downs while working on projects with the people you’ve just met, but overall, I wouldn’t change a thing!
Laszlo Gyorffy – Lead Instructor at ABC Silicon Valley 2024
The team was incredibly diverse, making for excellent networking opportunities. I made lifelong friends and colleagues. Each team had its own project that needed to be developed in detail with guidance from the guest speakers, culminating in a group presentation at the end.
ABC BootCamps also gave us the chance to visit numerous companies, including Apple Park Visitor Center, Plug and Play Tech Center, NetApp, Google Visitor Experience, Oracle, Intel Museum, and Stanford University. We learned about these organizations in various ways—sometimes through games and strategic thinking, other times by listening intently and asking questions. The unpredictability of each day’s activities was the best part.
What I’ve learned
I have learned to appreciate what I have and the friends who surround me, even if I didn’t fully recognize their value before. I realized how important it is to try, even when you’re scared or unsure of what to do. It’s essential to attempt, experience, and feel things for yourself. We often overthink what might happen in different scenarios, but it’s normal to feel afraid sometimes, and learning to live with that fear is part of the process.
I’ve discovered that America, especially Silicon Valley, is much more than just food, Starbucks, and the ocean. Silicon Valley is a place full of opportunities, paths, and people who support you and help you realize your values and priorities. In every city, you can find what interests you and what doesn’t; you just need to give it a chance, just like you need to give yourself a chance.
Here, at ABC BootCamps, our mission is to gather participants from all over the world and watch them grow as professionals through collaboration with leading companies, successful mentors, and outstanding professors. If that sounds interesting to you, make sure to follow us because applications for 2025 are opening soon!
