SHS Technology Student Association members earn honors at State Competition
Ten Yellow Jacket students represented Starkville High School at the Technology Student Association (TSA) State Competition in March and three earned Top-5 honors in competition. TSA is a national Career and Technical student organization for high schoolers engaged in STEM studies, and the SHS group is one of 81 chapters in high schools across the state.
SHS Technology Student Association State Honors:
Amy Choi –– 1st Place, Prepared Presentation
Amy Choi –– 2nd Place, Extemporaneous Speech
Deja Tate and Jordan Everette –– 4th Place, Data Science and Analytics
The SHS Technology Student Association, led by Tara Agnew, a computer and technology instructor in the Starkville High Technology, Engineering and & Construction (TEC) Academic House, serves students enrolled in several technology-related pathways and provides a variety of opportunities to gain experience in soft skills as well as hands-on learning in STEM activities.
In addition to the categories receiving honors at State, students in the club also earned District honors in Biotechnology Design and CAD Architecture in January, helping them to qualify for State Competition.
Mississippi's TSA programs are the only career and technical student organization dedicated exclusively to students enrolled in technology education courses. The mission of the organization is to foster personal growth, leadership and STEM opportunities for members. Students learn, apply and integrate the engineering design process, information technology concepts and soft skills through hands-on projects and competitions.
Ms. Agnew sees potential for the organization to awaken opportunities in STEM career paths for girls and underrepresented groups, in particular.
"Currently 65% of STEM careers are occupied by men, with only 35% women employed in the same field," Agnew said. "Black women are also underrepresented. We believe programs like what we offer in the Technology Student Association can help us make an impact in the lives of young girls as we introduce them to STEM careers like robotics and coding."
Agnew hopes the experiences students gain through competitions like this will instill confidence and also ultimately increase the number of women and minorities entering STEM fields after graduation.
Starkville High students who earned awards at state are qualified to compete at the TSA National Competition in Nashville in June.