STEM Shadow Day 2025
Program Overview
STEM Shadow Day, coordinated by the Santa Rosa Junior College MESA & Avanzando programs and SRJC STEM Cluster Departments, is a two-part event that matches students with employers to gain insight into technical careers. One or more students shadow a professional in their field of study, for one day during the fall semester. STEM Shadow Day gives students the opportunity to observe and network with professionals, explore a career field, clarify career goals and interests, and function within a work environment.
Fall 2025 STEM Shadow Day Details
Part 1: Meet-and-Greet Dinner – Thursday, October 2nd, 2025 6:00pm - 7:30pm
The first event is a dinner between students and professionals to set the stage for a successful site visit. The SRJC MESA/Avanzando programs coordinate all activities at no cost to all participants. They set up themed tables (e.g., Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Construction, Computer Science), and students have the opportunity to chat with professionals in that field and find someone who aligns with them for their shadowing/site visit experience.
Part 2: Industry-Sponsored Student Site Visit
The second part of the event is a job shadow site visit facilitated by the industry sponsor and coordinated for a day before January 17, 2026. During a typical 1 - 3 hour site visit, students tour the company and "tag-along" or “shadow” their sponsor through a typical work day. Industry mentors are encouraged to provide detailed and technical insights on a project, as this increases a student’s knowledge and motivates content learning.
Participants
This event is open to ALL students. MESA students and students who have already opted into Avanzando services will have priority registration.
The industry participants consist of Sonoma County technical firms specializing in engineering, biomedical research, science-based conservation, and education. Many of the participating firms are MESA and Avanzando Industry Advisory Board members and longtime supporters of Sonoma County STEM education.
Important information:
- MESA and Avanzando student sign-ups open on August 18th, 2025*.
- All SRJC student sign-ups open on August 25th, 2025*.
- ALL students will be required to attend a workshop before STEM Shadow Day on September 19th.
*All dates are subject to change. Students who are not currently opted into Avanzando student services will need to meet one-on-one with a student success specialist by September 19th.*
