The Student Experience

Quarter 1:

Students formed into teams and took a first run at revamping the Spark! website. Along the way, they learned …

• How to track and report progress toward a goal

• How to engage a client and supply regular status updates

• The basic principles of Agile project management and SCRUM

• What it looks like to build a professional presence:

Students began creating their first professional profile, including

• Taking a DISC assessment and reviewing the results

• Writing out a personal elevator pitch and delivering it to peers

• Creating a LinkedIn profile

• Crafting formal communication to our guest speakers

What it means to be a professional:

Students also learned from a host of speakers connected to the technology industry, who shared significant lessons they’ve learned from their professional journeys. Our deep thanks to …

Dr. Jennifer Stanfill, Parkway School District; Bob Hernandez, SAIC; John Krewson, Sketchdev.io; Thomas Moore, Mozilla; Darla Ahlert, Nestle Purina; Jenn Von Sothen, GadellNet Consulting Services; Duane Coats, Leidos; and Patrick Hawn and Paul Cook, Benchmark Email.

If you would like to see a summary of these conversations, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewmcallister/detail/recent-activity/shares/

What it takes to realize our passions:

Students brainstorm and design a passion project, something they will drive forward each quarter.

This quarter, our passion projects included:

Jack Bentley - Complete the Cloud Builder badge within Amazon Web Services’ Educate platform and apply for internships within the technology sector

Ishan Dhawan - Complete multiple badges within Amazon Web Services’ Educate platform, including Cloud Computing 101 and Machine Learning

Francesca Frederick - Complete Harvard’s CS50 introduction to computer science course

Yusuf Hacking - Build an understanding of network security by mastering Cisco’s Packet Tracer program, including coding in C#

Nicholas Harms - Learn the Swift programming language and build an iOS app from scratch

Nithya Kalepalli - Learn Javascript in-depth through the Launchcode 101 coursework

Elliot Krewson - Work through the MIT textbook Eloquent Javascript in order to understand the language inside and out

Ellie Mawuenyega - Complete multiple badges within Amazon Web Services’ Educate platform, including Cloud Builder and Internet of Things

Drew Milholland - Attend dual credit courses at Maryville in Digital Design and Digital Foundations, creating multiple creative works with the Adobe suite and connected technologies.

Lexi Moore - Build a comprehensive website with centralized information for the volleyball official certification exam. Lexi identified a need for this information when she had to gather it from a variety of sources to pass her own exam. She hoped this product will help others who pursue a similar goal.

Akalaka Okeke - Build a website to support the sale of a materials from the small business she is creating to provide authentic African patterned cloth at an affordable price to US buyers

Aseda Opoku - Learn the 3D animation software Maya and create assets she could use in a small animated feature for children she teaches at church.

Zach Payeur - Complete multiple badges within Amazon Web Services’ Educate platform, including Data Scientist, Machine Learning, and Cyber Security

Tara Reznak - Build and animate a car in Maya 3D

Nima Saboorizadeh - Complete multiple badges within Amazon Web Services’ Educate platform, including Cloud Explore, Cloud Inventor, and Cloud Builder

Quarter 2

Associates had the opportunity to choose a specialty according to their interests. Students selected from three paths: application development, cybersecurity, and graphic design. Their stories are below.

Our Application Development team, coached by professionals from Sketchdev.io, helped the Parkway Food Pantry speed up the work of volunteers and feed our community more quickly. They gathered requirements from Food Pantry leaders, learned the Google App Script programming language, and delivered features every two weeks, gaining client feedback every step of the way. They then worked through a hand-off phase, transitioning maintenance and support to the Parkway Technology department.

Our Cyber Security Team tackled cryptography, open source intelligence, and log analysis in a national Capture the Flag (CTF) competition sponsored by local cybersecurity talent incubator CyberUp. Their mentor is Chris Elbring, a cybersecurity professional and CTF regional champion. The team has repeatedly placed in the top 10% of the over 90 participating teams.

And our Digital Design Team brought a digital comic from concept to production, receiving feedback and guidance from three local experts in 2D and 3D design and animation. The team presented their final product to a panel of mentors at the close of the quarter.