When Alpha Sigma Nu opened applications for a travel stipend to connect mentors and mentees in real life, Zach Thomas (Spring Hill ‘23) jumped at the chance. As a junior Computer Science and Mathematics major, Zach saw the opportunity to visit Silicon Valley, California as a great way to connect more deeply with his mentor, Mike Heinecke (Wheeling ‘97), visit notable Jesuit places of interest, learn more about local Jesuit universities, and see several high-tech companies that are driving innovation in fields like Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Vehicles, and High Performance Computing. The four-day trip was action packed, and both Zach and Mike left with a deeper appreciation of our Jesuit history, and a sense of thankfulness for the opportunity to spend time together.
Day 1 and 2
On day 1, shortly after stepping off the plane, Zach and Mike visited Mission San Jose, Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School, and the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center retirement home (former West Coast Jesuit Novitiate). Since Mike lives in Santa Cruz, a quick visit to the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and University of California Santa Cruz were in order before having supper with Mike’s family.
Day 2 started with a trip to Stanford University, followed by a short stop at Meta (Facebook) headquarters before driving north to San Francisco. The weather was perfect, so a walk on the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, overlooking Fort Point and Alcatraz, was a great introduction to the city. Afterwards, Zach and Mike visited University of San Francisco and St. Ignatius Church, then did more sightseeing: San Francisco City Hall, Painted Ladies, trolleys, Fisherman’s Wharf, sea lions at Pier 39, lots of Waymo autonomous robotaxis, and the famously twisty Lombard Street. The day ended with a picturesque sunset and a drive down Highway 1 back to Santa Cruz.
Visiting with my mentee allowed us to dive deeper into personal and professional discussions by visiting the places where my career started and where I have worked and lived for the past decade. We balanced learning with fun by exploring many interesting locations, woven together by thoughtful conversations while driving through Silicon Valley, over the Santa Cruz mountains, and along the Pacific coast. I am excited to see how this visit changes Zach’s perspective and points him in a positive direction for the future!
The focus of day 3 was Zach’s visit to Kodiak Robotics, where Mike is a Technical Program Manager responsible for developing autonomous vehicle technology for commercial, industrial, and defense applications. The duo toured the Kodiak offices, labs, operations center, and garage, then Zach had an opportunity to talk to Kodiak’s Head of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. The visit concluded after a ride in an autonomous 18-wheeler truck on local highways and city streets! After lunch at Google X, one of Mike’s past employers, Zach and Mike explored the campuses of some of the most noteworthy companies in Silicon Valley: Google, Microsoft, Intel, Nvidia, Apple, and Netflix.
Day 4 was spent walking the beautiful campus of Santa Clara University, including Mission Santa Clara, new engineering and innovation buildings, and impressive athletic facilities. The highlights of the visit were talking to a Computer Science professor and meeting with the head of the graduate program in Computer Science and Engineering. By lunchtime, it was time for Zach to board his flight and return to Spring Hill in Mobile, Alabama.
Throughout the visit, Zach and Mike had meaningful and thought-provoking conversations about the past, present, and future. This trip was only possible thanks to the generosity of Alpha Sigma Nu, whose members instill the ideals of Scholarship, Loyalty, and Service at Spring Hill College, in Silicon Valley, and beyond!
My visit with my mentor was a truly transformative experience for me and impactful in more ways than I can describe. I was given the amazing opportunity to learn from many people who are actively contributing to the wave of amazing technological advancements such as my mentor, Mike Heinecke, the head of AI and Machine Learning at Kodiak, Shubham Shrivastava, the chair for the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Santa Clara University, Dr. Silvia Figueira, and many others. I learned so much from these inspiring individuals such as how to succeed in the field of Computer Science, the dynamics of an effective tech company, what a career in tech looks like, how to effectively apply myself in graduate school, how to make the right decision on a graduate school, the power of a Jesuit education, the positive Jesuit influence in the San Francisco Bay Area, and much more advice that will aid me for the rest of my life. In addition, I got to visit a place that I had never been before and make unforgettable memories along the way. I’m so grateful for the wonderful experience I’ve had with my mentor and would highly recommend Alpha Sigma Nu’s mentorship program to anyone.
Zachary Thomas (Spring Hill College, Class of 2026)
