Bringing the Law to Life: Oakland Tech Students Visit Pinterest for Street Law’s Legal Career Pipeline Program

At Pinterest, we believe in the power of values-driven action—and this spring, that belief came to life as we opened our doors to 10th grade students from Oakland Technical High School for the third consecutive year to host a hands-on legal learning experience through the Street Law Legal Career Pipeline Program. 

Over the past few months, 15 members of Pinterest’s Legal and Business Affairs team, including teams from Legal, Public Policy, Corporate Affairs and Trust & Safety, stepped away from their usual work to serve as volunteer teachers and facilitators. Together, they taught six engaging classes at Oakland Tech focused on this year’s core topics: contracts law and negotiation techniques and the First Amendment in the context of cyberbullying. More than 60 students participated, diving deep into legal concepts and exploring how the law shows up in their everyday lives.

The experience culminated in a full-day capstone conference at Pinterest headquarters, where students put their knowledge into action. They stepped into the shoes of lawyers and negotiators in two fast-paced simulations: a mock trial on student free speech rights, and a spirited round of contract negotiations that challenged them to think critically and advocate persuasively.

Beyond the legal lessons, students gained powerful career insights during honest conversations with Pinterest team members, including our Chief Legal & Business Affairs Officer, Wanji Walcott, who reminded students that “everyone makes mistakes”—and that resilience, reflection, and growth are all part of any career journey.

We began the day with a discussion about values, inviting students to look closely at how people interact at Pinterest and to notice the small moments that reveal what this workplace stands for. As we reflect back, we are incredibly proud of what they saw: a team that believes in investing time, care, and expertise in the next generation. Supporting programs like Street Law isn’t just an extracurricular—it’s an expression of the values we live every day.

Thank you to the students of Oakland Tech, our dedicated Legal and Business Affairs team, and Street Law for making this program such a success. We can’t wait to see what these bright young minds do next.