Tech Solutions

Spring 2023

Participating in the workplace

Getting in

This semester, we focused on what it takes to move into the workplace and perform there. We kicked off the work with a rewarding set of conversations with over 20 professionals from Bayer Crop Science, who performed mock interviews with our team. They asked great questions, gave feedback on performance, and then shared their own interviewing experiences directly with associates.

Associates leveraged those lessons in interviews with our internship sponsors, securing experiences in video production, beta testing for a VR firm, cybersecurity work for Parkway, and more.

Some students wanted to pursue subjects in areas where micro-internship opportunities have not yet opened up. For those associates, we launched an advanced project track, pursuing topics like machine learning and geospatial information systems. These students connected with industry contacts who pushed their thinking and gave feedback on their progress.

Doing the work

This year we had 14 micro-internship and advanced projects running for 12 weeks this semester. In that time, associates encountered a number of experiences that will shape their futures.

Spark! associates ...

Developed marketing and media assets for Parkway as part of the Communications department
Participated in the ESRI ArcGIS Geospatial Mapping competition with feedback from individuals from the Litzsinger Foundation, ESRI, the St. Louis Zoo, and the GeoTech Center
Contributed to internal software development projects coached by software developers from Sketch Development Services
Analyzed and protected district resources while supervised by Parkway's cybersecurity and networking team
Designed and redesigned machine learning models as part of the AWS DeepRacer competition, coached by a mentor from Bayer Plant Science.
Created market analyses and reviewed business processes with Lafayette Industries
Shadowed cybersecurity professionals and met area CISOs with help from the Security Advisors Alliance and Netskope
Created direct marketing campaigns delivered through both Facebook and email for Podcastify.me

Designed an original video telling the story of the rise of eSports in popular culture while shadowing all segments of the video production process at Solstice Media.
Implemented a prototype application that encourages sustainable student culture at a local high school with mentors from World Wide Technology
Beta-tested a new VR game in development by Another Reality Studio and created, as a team, a 2D platform game entitled, "Spark vs Shock".
Learned project management practices and crafted call-to-action presentations to promote awareness about human trafficking as part of the Mathern Project.
Analyzed sales data and created marketing materials for a local company, OnDemand Painters
Developed Sport Marketing materials for the Parkway Communications department

Completed personal projects and received accolades

Tech Solutions associates accomplished much this semester, winning awards, securing summer internships, completing industry certifications, and more. This year ...

2 associates were accepted into the inaugural year of high school internships at the NGA location here in St. Louis
1 was mentioned in a professional research paper on machine learning as a primary contributor to an open source project
1 was accepted into the Access Point professional programming development program sponsored by Daugherty Solutions
4 made up a team that placed 3rd out of 20 area schools in World Wide Technology's Student STEM Forum
1 was named a National Cyber Foundation scholar for Missouri
3 launched technology-focused businesses as their personal passion projects
1 placed in the top 12% of over 6000 college and high school students participating in the National Cyber League competition
2 placed 2nd out of Missouri teams for the annual ESRI ArcGIS StoryMapping competition
1 completed the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

And that list doesn’t include the ones who

built video games in collaborative teams,
created animated avatars for folks in their Twitch community,
connected the Notion API to display their homework on an e-ink reader,
learned multiple coding languages,
submitted to competitions in machine learning competitions,
wrote original scripts, and more.

Grateful for the journey

Over 90 professionals representing 45 separate organizations gave more than 700 hours of their time to share, advise, coach, and inspire Parkway Spark! Tech Solutions students this year. To say that we are grateful would be an understatement. These professionals made a significant impact on the direction of individuals and future families by generously giving of their time.

Mary Ann Perkins, a parent of one of our associates, summed up the impact:

"This year I have watched my kid step incrementally into adulthood through her participation in the program. Gaining experience with building a resume, handling job interviews like a pro, and benefitting from internship and mentorship in a workplace, peer learning and support -- all of this gave my kid more confidence and helped her believe in herself and feel optimistic about what she can achieve in her future education and the career she'll eventually build.

There is a gap the size of Texas between normal schooling and the culture of "the workforce", and the unknown aspects of it can be intimidating for kids. Spark! Tech Solutions is the bridge. It decoded workplace expectations and norms, broke down elements of it into manageable pieces and then worked on practical skill-building. My daughter was attracted to the program because she is into computers, and Spark! delivered on that for sure, but she got much, much more from the experience."

Thank you to our associates, our parents, and our sponsors. It has been an amazing 2022-23 school year!

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