Edison High business students get advice from Microsoft and more during senior trip to Massachusetts

Thirty-one Edison High School business students received advice from organizations such as Microsoft during a seven-day senior trip to Massachusetts.

The eighth annual trip was through the Huntington Beach school’s Center for International Business and Communication Studies, a four-year program with curriculum focusing on competitive projects, job shadowing and internships with business partners. Students returned to campus Monday.

The extracurricular trip is geared to help students flesh out their own business as part of their senior project and learn about careers available outside Huntington Beach, said CIBACS teacher Bob Strachan.

The destination is different each year, depending on the teacher and organizer.

Student Alexandra Trementozzi, 17, organized this year’s trip.

She established a budget, hosted informational meetings for parents and coordinated meetings with the organizations with help from Strachan and Maxine Derderian, a CIBACS alumna who initiated the annual excursion.

Strachan said students typically share their career plans and ask industry professionals for recommendations.

Students toured Microsoft’s facility in Cambridge and learned about the technology giant’s fundamentals, how to apply for internships and what it takes to become an employee.

“I learned how important it truly is to communicate and network,” said Bailey Hansen, 17, who is creating a 14-piece clothing collection that will be featured in a runway show in April. “It’s the only way to succeed in the business world.”

At the Massachusetts Port Authority, which owns and operates three airports in the state along with public terminals in the Port of Boston, students were surprised to learn the role it plays in the area, Alexandra said.

One student who is looking to create natural dog treats found a similar business in Boston and talked to people there about their recipes and her business project.

Another student had similar success with his project focusing on Kaatsu, a training method developed in Japan.

“This is what CIBACS wants students to work toward,” Alexandra said. “A lot of us are majoring in business studies in college, and it’s really helpful for our future.”

Students will present their senior projects May 19 at Edison High.

Priscella.Vega@latimes.com

Twitter: @vegapriscella