StartUp! 2025 Across the Globe

As the 2025-26 school year kicked off, families across the world joined to meet each other at their regional StartUp! event. With events spanning from Northern California/Nevada and Hawaii to Beijing and Europe/Africa, StartUp! was an opportunity for Stanford OHS families to come together and connect at the beginning of the academic year. Some regions organised in-person events, while others chose to host online events for new and returning families to connect with each other. 

More than anything, families cherished the opportunity to connect with other members of the OHS community. As a student who attended the Beijing StartUp! put it, “We went to a restaurant and honestly the food was awesome. But what I really enjoyed was being around fellow OHSers, most of whom I've seen at previous meetups before. Though we had a large age range, I remember just feeling like they're close friends with whom I can be myself—and not total strangers.” Victoria M (‘29), who attended the Eastern Seaboard StartUp! stated that “the thing that stood to me the most was how welcoming and kind the other students were. As a new OHS student, I was happy to see so many students who were passionate about their fields, but also just want[ed] to have fun.”

Regional Coordinators shared the same spirit surrounding StartUp!. One first-time regional coordinator described their StartUp! as “small, online,” and “personal.”nother new Regional Coordinator said that her aim “was just to connect with people.” Carrie McKeegan, who organised the Europe/Africa StartUp! described how, despite a smaller turnout, they enjoyed participating in the event and chose to have “a more intimate conversation” given the number of participants. 

Across all regions, StartUp! did what it set out to do: create an opportunity for families and students to meet and connect. Participants left feeling encouraged, seen, and ready for the year ahead.