Students from the FSU STARS Alliance presented Computing Careers Night at Godby High School in Tallahassee on the evening of Nov. 6. The purpose of the event was to educate students, parents, teachers and guidance counselors about educational and career opportunities available in computing. The STARS (Students and Technology in Academia, Research, and Service) Alliance is a nine-university regional partnership sponsored by a National Science Foundation grant to broaden participation in among underrepresented groups. According to the U.S. National Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the next decade eight out of the ten top careers will be in computing related fields.

“There are a lot of different careers in computing – everything from writing computer software, to developing Web sites, to managing business information. In addition, you can apply computer skills to almost any profession – health care, teaching, hurricane tracking, or music, to name a few,” said Ebe Randeree, FSU’s academic liaison to the STARS Alliance.

Presenters at Computing Careers Night included Jackie Pons, superintendent of Leon County Schools; Corey Latislaw and Chris Landbeck of the FSU STARS Alliance; and keynote speakers Glenda Atkinson and Chet Hall of the TalTech Alliance. Career exhibits were presented by representatives from Florida State University, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee Community College, and Godby High School.

To learn more, visit FSU’s STARS Alliance web site at starsalliance.fsu.edu.

STUDENT STARS. FSU STARS Alliance students presented Computing Careers Night at Godby High School. Above (left to right), Kristen Norena, Sabrina Fontaine, Christine Savvakis, and Emily Robarge organize their work. Below, Sabrina Fontaine (left) signs in a parent for the evening’s activities. The STARS Alliance is funded by a National Science Foundation grant to broaden participation in computing among underrepresented groups.