We are on a mission to transform experiential learning for college students
Our story
Pike Street is all about journeys, including those that we measure over miles and physical distances, as well as the journeys that can only be measured by personal growth and transformation. This mission is at the center of everything we do, including our name, which draws inspiration from the street where our founder spent his early childhood living in public housing. For us, “Pike Street” perfectly embodies our mission to take students on transformative journeys as they develop and uncover their career aptitudes, passions, and aspirations.
Our founder
Dierre has worked with hundreds of college students in California over the past decade, developing tech and academic partnerships alongside experiential education programs. He has worked with numerous colleges and universities around the country, as well as graduate programs, startups, and student groups to create internships, career treks, and professional development programs onsite in California. He is passionate about implementing meaningful programs designed to help students develop and identify their skills and goals. Dierre has worked at Harvard University, Stanford University, and at the University of Notre Dame. He holds degrees from Dartmouth and the University of Virginia. His greatest accomplishment, however, is the many relationships he has maintained with former students over the years, many of whom have become friends.
Our why
As the world’s fourth largest economy, California remains a top destination for college graduates and young adults. Silicon Valley alone boasts a GDP of $850 billion and it remains the worldwide hub for technology and innovation. More and more colleges have recognized this and they have worked to increase pathways and opportunities to connect their students to California. However, for schools that are located thousands of miles away, it is difficult to allocate the requisite time, energy, and personnel to develop career treks, professional development events, and meaningful alumni engagement in the area. Pike Street leverages its local expertise, industry connections, and insights into student development to create customized programs from start to finish to satisfy the needs of students who are interested in all aspects of the tech, entertainment, and finance industries.
Our vision
Career treks and professional development events are just the beginning. We are on a mission to make Silicon Valley more accessible to students in other regions of the US. But it doesn’t stop there. We plan to take our customized professional development programs to other US cities and to become the central resource for universities with programs in the Bay Area. We know that students learn best when they learn by doing, and we are on a mission to become the central destination for university collaboration and learning in the Bay Area.
“The program was not only an academic highlight of my time in college but also a deeply personal and professional turning point, thanks in large part to Dierre’s leadership. He shaped the experience into something that was both rigorous and meaningful, and I know that many of my peers would say the same. . . He is a gifted leader, mentor, and educator whose impact extends far beyond the classroom.” -3rd year business student