Why my teens are going to Tech Trek for the fourth-consecutive year.

As a mom, I feel very lucky that my teenage daughters still talk to me. As a working mom, I feel even luckier that my kids are interested in my work and interested in their community.

For the fourth year in a row, while other kids are trading in their school books for swimsuits, mine are gearing up for A2 Tech Trek in downtown Ann Arbor.

You might think you can skip Tech Trek this year since you have been for the past three years. DON’T SKIP IT! That is, this year the Trek is even bigger, including a live concert and the newest addition —Mobility Row. While the future of self-driving vehicles is constantly evolving, one thing for sure is that my teenagers will see one in their lifetime.

Last year, my kids branded A2 Tech Trek as“Shark Tank meets HGTC.” My kids loved asking the entrepreneurs at the SPARK Central Innovation Center how they plan to scale their business and they loved checking out all the different office decors. This year, they are most excited to see the Domino’s self-driving pizza delivery vehicle. My 14-year-old is also very excited about Bank of Ann Arbor’s Live@ Tech Trek. Since both of my kids are still in school when Sonic Lunch starts, they are going to miss the first two Sonic Lunch concerts. But, they will make up for it by attending Live@Tech Trek since there is an incredible line up of music and music will be playing all afternoon, not just for one-hour.

Tech Trek is a fantastic way to start off the summer in Ann Arbor. I highly recommend it for teenagers and recent college grads who are still looking for a place to land post-graduation. At most locations, the CEO of companies are the greeters. It is a great way to do some information gathering, like a low-pressure job interview while wearing t-shirts and shorts. To my fellow neighbors who have kids older than mine who are going off to college or ready to move away from home, I tell them to send their kids to Tech Trek and check out all of the cool companies we have in Ann Arbor.

For the record, I don’t force my kids to attend Tech Trek. The first year I did have to bribe them with cool t-shirts and mention all the free food. This year, they already know the music line up and I know when they are older they will tell their kids that they saw the first self-driving pizza delivery vehicle.

Be sure to register you and your kids before the event.

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Source: SPARK