STEM Shadow Day
Through the free annual STEM Shadow Day event, undergraduate students from the following campuses will have a unique experience to witness the real world of work in an engineering or scientific environment:
University: San Diego State University,
Community colleges: Grossmont, Imperial Valley, Mesa, Miracosta, Miramar, San Diego City, and Southwestern,
and various middle and high schools in the San Diego and Imperial Valley counties.
Industry’s involvement will provide a great opportunity for our up and coming students to get a feel for their field of interest and see first-hand how classroom skills relate to the workplace. Employers can make a positive impact on the lives of students, our future engineers and scientists, and students can picture themselves in these positions in the near future while creating attainable goals to get there.
MESA's STEM Shadow Day will be in-person on the Thursday before the Thanksgiving holiday: Thursday, November 20, 2025
Questions? Contact the STEM Shadow Day Coordinator, Eric Pamintuan, at [email protected]
- August - Sunday, September __, 2025: Industry registration.
- Monday, September __ - Sunday, October __: Student registration.
- October ___ Students are matched to companies, requests for identification and other company requested documentation.
- October ___: Student matches are sent to industry.
- November 3-7: Student preparation meeting options:
- Grossmont College:
- Imperial Valley College:
- Mesa College:
- MiraCosta College:
- Miramar College:
- San Diego City College:
- San Diego State University:
- Tuesday, November 4, ___, ___
- Wednesday, November __, 2:00-2:50 pm, in-person ____
- Wednesday, November __, 3:00-3:50 pm, in-person ____
- Thursday, November 6, ___, ___
- Friday, November 7, ___, Zoom
- Friday, November 7, ___, Zoom
- Friday, November 7, ___, Zoom
- Southwestern College (SWC):
- High school students: Please contact your MESA teacher/advisor/staff.
- Tuesday, November 11: Veteran's Day holiday.
- Thursday, November 20: STEM Shadow Day!
- Thursday, November 27: Thanksgiving holiday.
- 9:30-10:00 am: Welcome and introduction to company
- 10:00-10:30 am: HR (internship, entry level, special programs, growth opportunities)
- 10:30-11:30 am: Tour of facility, worksite/projects review
- 11:30-12:30 pm: Roundtable/Q&A lunch with mentors, recent grads, interns, etc.
- 12:30-1:30 pm: Hands-on activities, alternate departments
- 1:30-2:00: Closing/picture for PR
Breaks worked in between as applicable. Industry hosts have flexibility to structure their agenda and timing to best match their working environment and student demographics.
Typical start times have been ~8:00-10:00 am, with end times from ~2:00-4:00 pm.
