Andrew Aguilera Attends Google’s BOLD Immersion Program
Andrew Aguilera, Class of 2018, travelled to Mountain View, California for the experience of a lifetime at Google’s BOLD Immersion Program.
Written by Andrew Aguilera, Class of 2018
On April 17, 2015 I received an email notifying me of my status for Google’s Building Opportunities for Leadership and Development (BOLD) Discovery Program for rising sophomores. I had waited months to hear back and I could not wait to see the result. Unfortunately, they were not able to offer me an invitation. While I was disappointed at first, there was no doubt in my mind that I would try again the following year.
On April 8, 2016 I received an invitation to Google’s BOLD Immersion Program. During the week of August 14, 2016 I had the tremendous opportunity to attend the program in Mountain View, California. The program for rising undergraduate juniors, “gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in a culture where great minds, cutting-edge technology and smart business intersect to make a difference.” In addition, the program serves as a pipeline into the BOLD Internship Program. This year, 70 students from 40+ universities across the nation were selected to attend the program out of 1,000+ applicants.
The first evening began with a welcome from Melanie Lazare, a Student Development Specialist at Google, and the head of the BOLD Immersion Program. She informed us about Google’s micro kitchens (MKs), which are small stations with snacks and beverages that are always available in every room during the program.
The first full day began with a “Welcome to Google” presentation by Tanya Choudhury, Specialist, MBA and Industry Programs. She spoke about Google’s mission “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” I learned about Google’s journey from starting in a garage, to becoming the large company that it is today. Another topic was “10X Thinking” which is the idea that the more challenging an idea is, the more we want to work on it.
As many may already know, Google is known for its workplace environment (aside from their products). They promote a “building happy” workplace that consists of two main aspects: intention and voice in transparency. They do their best to make everything convenient for their employees. Examples include the complimentary cafeterias and umbrellas by major door exits. They are transparent in that they have weekly meetings with the entire company, including the CEO to discuss various projects.
Another important area for Google is in diversity. They have four priorities:
- Hire more diverse Googlers.
- Foster a fair and inclusive Google.
- Expand the pool of technologists.
- Bridge the digital divide.
They also promote a safe workplace environment, so employees can feel comfortable taking risks with new, innovative projects. Andreas Gyr, LEED AP ID+C, Google Real Estate and Workplace Services (REWS), discussed the very in-depth thought process of the Real Estate team. Google cares about every aspect of the workplace environment, including air quality, the perfect amount of sunlight, and more. In another session, we learned about 20% projects. 20% projects are projects that employees can work on for 20% (or one day) of their work week that can be totally different from their typical day-to-day tasks. Through 20% projects, Gmail and AdSense were created.
Another speaker for the day was Gopi Kallayil, Chief Evangelist, Brand Marketing. He spoke about how at Google, “we fail more than we succeed”. In other words, most ideas will fail, but the ones that succeed, succeed tremendously. Nobody at Google has “innovation” in their title, because it is the expectation that everyone is innovative. During this session, we were exposed to Google’s self-driving car project, Cardboard Virtual Reality, and more.
Throughout the program, we had some great opportunities that included: learning the eight qualities of an excellent manager, shadowing a Googler’s typical work day, learning about the different Google teams, resume review, and even mock interviews. Overall, the program served as an excellent introduction into Google’s culture, mission, and career opportunities. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to dive deep into a company that everyone can recognize. While many things make Google successful, it is their attention to detail that is truly astonishing. My biggest takeaway from this entire experience is that we will all face failure many times, but it is how we approach failure that defines who we are.