FSU STARS Bring Leadership Techniques and Mentoring to STEM Students Across Florida

Posted by Ebrahim Randeree on

FSU STARS were on the road again, connecting current students with alumni as well as mentoring middle and high school STEM students.

Ten students (Alissa Ovalle, Kylee McPhail, Megan Mulhall, Tiffany Carpenter, Hannah Brock, Nicolaus Lopez, Andrew Pendergast, Chelsea Schneider, Deanna Sand, and Allie Cannan) attended and presented at the 2016 Florida Technology Student Association (TSA) Leadership Conference last week.

The FSU team worked with 419 Middle and High School students for three days, delivering 10 presentations, running five groups of 20 student teams, interacting with STEM teachers across the state, and having tons of fun!

Presentations included: Cyber Security, Communicating for leaders, Emerging technologies, Transitioning to college, Leadership 101, and Effective Social Media.

The mission of the TSA is to prepare its members for the challenges of a dynamic world by promoting technological literacy, leadership and problem solving, resulting in personal growth and opportunity. With over 250,000 national members and over 50,000 Florida members, Florida TSA is a leader in technology programs in the State.

Ebe Randeree, Associate Dean at FSU’s College of Communication & Information, serves on the TSA Board, “having our college students engaged in developing the next generation of tech leaders, mentoring middle and high school and practicing their leadership and communication skills is important for their success.”

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“Inspiring the next generation is rewarding,” said Hannah Brock, STARS President, “allowing them to discover their potential by getting involved and excited about their leadership skills is why we do this; I want to make an impact.”
While in Orlando, students connected with CCI alumni:

  • Milton Ramer, 2015 IT alum (OSP Network Engineer for Outsource Inc.)
  • Kathleen Prihoda, 1993 Comm alum (Senior Manager, Communications at Walt Disney World)
  • Meredith Hall, 2015 ICT alum (Social Media Marketing Manager at InBIA – International Business Innovation Association)

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Students also toured Electronic Arts in coordination with CCI and Stars alum Andrew Bertino, 2008 IT alum (UI Technical Artist II at Electronic Arts). The students toured the facility and met with five other FSU alums that work at EA.

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To close their trip, the students visited Osceola High School and spoke to 6 classes about the transition from high school to college, the college application process, choosing a major, FSU programs, job opportunities, and where CCI alums are working.

Kylee McPhail finds being a teacher just as rewarding as being a student, “as visiting students from Florida State we led teams that helped teach these students about technology and leadership. These students taught me more about myself as a leader and I look forward to next year!”

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Andrew Prendergast, FSU STARS student, found the school visit valuable, “working with the K-12 students was a thrilling and rewarding experience; watching them transition from not knowing anybody in their group to becoming leaders among their peers and accomplishing tasks on a team was inspiring. The future of our world is in their hands, and I cannot wait to see the great feats they will accomplish.”