MTM Orientation Trip to Santa Ynez

by Elizabeth Acebu

Yes, this program is intense--after all, we do pack years worth of learning into a focused 9-month program.  But that makes it all the more important to relax and get some downtime when we can.  For our recent orientation in the MTM Program, we did just that when we kicked things off with a trip to the Santa Ynez Wine Country. 

The Santa Ynez Valley is about 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara and it’s a world apart--with horses, ranches, wineries and more beautiful scenery than you can imagine. Because of this, it’s a popular location for filming movies, and was the setting for the film “Sideways” a few years back.

On our trip, we visited the award-winning Sunstone Winery and Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. and everyone had an awesome time getting to know each other and sampling the local viticulture. This group is coming together well and that’s so important in a program like ours where a big part of the training involves working together--in the classroom, on projects, and in the workplace.

We look forward to many more fun events together over the next nine months...along with plenty of hard work in and out of the classroom and of course great teamwork!