Information Technology Services (ITS) hosted the ITS Rise Together Showcase April 7, 2026. The event was a half-day conference, open to all, driving innovation and modernization through collaboration across Florida State University (FSU). Attendees were able to view and participate in lectures and workshops about a variety of topics in administration, education, and research.
Three FSU College of Communication and Information (CCI) students—Elias Latimer, an Information Technology (IT) student, Manavi Kotwani, an Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) student, and Courtney Stokes, an IT student—presented their projects at the showcase.
Elias Latimer merged what he learned at his internship with what he presented at the conference. Latimer’s topic was creating Retrieval-Augmented Generation Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents for departments within FSU using the Salesforce platform. He expressed that he was able to gain hands-on experience in technologies and applications that are not only industry standards but also in high demand.
“The Salesforce DevOps team, which I am interning with, combines system administration and software development. This means I am learning not only best practices for software development but also system development,” said Latimer. “This experience has been integral to my understanding of designing solutions for real use cases rather than just course projects. Understanding user requirements and needs and then building to meet those expectations has been especially formative.”
Latimer also remarked that seeing the passion of others through their projects, along with the supportive messages from leadership, created a very positive and motivating experience. This tied into the event’s vision of driving innovation and collaboration.
“This event is a great opportunity to showcase your experience, connect with others, and learn about different teams within IT. It is similar to a conference, with guest speakers, messages from leadership, and individual presentations. It is worth taking the time to meet new people and explore topics you may not have encountered before,” said Latimer.
Kotwani said, “My biggest takeaway from this event was realizing how important it is to design technology that’s not just smart, but also easy and helpful for people to use. It also showed me how important it is to communicate ideas clearly, especially when you’re talking about something technical.”
The event also allowed students to gather experience in interdisciplinary topics. Kotwani explained how, as a Marketing and ICT student, her topic connected with her interest in how AI can improve user experience and make digital platforms more personal and efficient.
“This was a valuable experience for me. It helped me bring together both my creative and technical skills, and it made me even more excited about working with AI in the future,” said Kotwani.
Latimer and Kotwani both expressed gratitude to CCI for gaining real-world experience through their programs.
“FSU, especially CCI, has been a huge support system for me. I’ve had access to great resources, hands-on projects, and opportunities like this presentation that let me apply what I’m learning. It’s not just about classes, it’s about real experience, which has helped me grow a lot,” said Kotwani.
Latimer echoed the same sentiment, saying, “CCI has also been a great facilitator by acting as a bridge between the IT concepts learned in class and their real-world application in a career setting.”
The ITS RISE Together Showcase allowed attendees to apply their technical knowledge in real-world contexts and was a great opportunity to help shape the future of innovation at FSU.
See more photos from the event by clicking the link here!