Shaping the Next Generation in Tech: Highlights from the Future Tech Leaders Project Showcase
All eyes were on the founding group of the Future Tech Leaders program as they confidently presented the knowledge they had gained through six weeks of summer camp. Our class of 13 students was split into three teams, each assigned a subject mastered at camp—cybersecurity, AI, and programming—and tasked with the challenge of putting their tech skills into practice by finding solutions to real social issues.
Parents, instructors, and members of the Summit, IL community looked on as each group took to the stage to present a final project that demonstrated not only technical skills but also leadership and a commitment to paying it forward.
Keep reading to learn more about the Future Tech Leaders Program, the Project Showcase, and more details on the final projects created by our students.
What is “Future Tech Leaders”?
Future Tech Leaders is an ongoing program for grades 9-12 under our Digital Leaders Academy. Students learn essential technical skills in emerging technologies like cybersecurity and AI from our instructors, supported by industry experts in our network of DLN Advisers & Champions. Students also learn problem-solving and critical thinking by applying their tech knowledge to social issues.
What Sets This Program Apart from other STEM programs?
The foundation of the curriculum is STEM, but what makes it unique is the holistic approach to learning and integration of leadership and civic engagement. Aside from exposure to technology, the Future Tech Leaders curriculum focuses on building leadership and project management skills and applying them to finding solutions to real issues in a student’s community and beyond. Another essential component of the program is bringing in tech industry experts who provide professional insights, mentorship, and information on career pathways in tech.
The Team Behind Future Tech Leaders
Our Director of Operations, Lionel Rodriguez, designed and created the Future Tech Leaders program. Mr. Rodriguez assembled a team of experienced educators and professionals to create a program relevant to today’s technology and careers for K-12 students.
The education team includes two Latina educators. Della Benavidez, a Certified Tech Apps and Computer Science Teacher, and Ashley Ufret, a CS and Equity Integration Specialist, developed a program that includes Cybersecurity, Programming, and AI curriculum to introduce students to skills relevant to today’s workforce.
Additionally, our lead Instructor, Kate Afulimi, with 10+ years of directing after-school and summer programs, led the team, which included Thomas Thirlwall, B.S. CS, and Christian Reyes, B.S. CS, who contributed their real-world expertise. Thomas and Christian also hold AWS certifications.
The leadership component, conducted by April Kates-Ellison, CEO/Founder of The Lights on Collective, introduced team building, project management, and executive function skills.
The team is rounded out by instructors Joel Bollas, an Argo HS alumnus pursuing a Civil Engineering Degree at the University of Illinois, and Sylvia Gonzalez, a former Golden Apple Award winner with 15+ years of classroom experience.
The Project Showcase
The showcase is an important component of the program, and a culmination of all the hard work students put into learning new concepts and developing their projects. Aside from showcasing their work, the event is an opportunity for audience members to learn more about technology and its potential for solving issues in their community.
Our first showcase took place on Thursday, July 11th, at Argo High School’s Portillo’s Performing Arts Center, a state-of-the-art venue that allowed the students to shine and command the attention of an engaged audience. Among the attendees were family, members of the community, and a few of the industry experts who worked with the students directly. We also received a surprise visit from Illinois Senator Mike Porfirio, who spoke with students from all 3 teams to get more insight into their final projects.
Student Projects
Team Cybersecurity
Cristal Hernandez, Isis Mendez, Jacqueline Mendoza, Paulina Partida, Axel Sanchez
- Project Name: CyberKids
- The Issue: Young children getting into potentially dangerous situations when interacting with strangers online.
- The Solution: An interactive guide for elementary school students that serves as an introduction to basic technology and safe online practices. Download the CyberKids booklet here!
Team AI
Brian Barajas, Anahi Fernandez, Miguel Martinez, Rawan Sharfi
- Project Name: ArgoBot
- The Issue: Students and parents miss important information due to difficulties navigating the school website.
- The Solution: An AI chatbot for the Argo High School website so that visitors can conveniently get information about school events and other updates without having to leave the home page.
Team Programming
Rami B. Ali, Alicia Ojeda, Marcelino Rivera, Jacob Silva
- Project Name: Helper-Bot 9000
- The Issue: Individuals with mobility issues cannot perform small but necessary tasks, resulting in loss of independence and overextension of caregivers.
- The Solution: A Roomba-inspired bot programmed to help those with mobility and dexterity issues with everyday tasks, such as bringing them essential items such as water bottles or medication.
A Captivated Crowd & Engaging Q&A
The audience was engaged during all 3 presentations, and there was a lively discussion during the Q&A that followed. There were follow-up questions about the projects and others about leadership skills that were learned and how the students planned to inspire others to pursue tech.
“In our project, we tried to program a robot to pick things up for people who might have trouble with that. I hope things like that, that we can build in the future to help more people, would inspire others to join this field.” –Marcelino Rivera, Team Programming
Looking Ahead
After the success of our founding group, LatinX DLN plans to expand our Future Tech Leaders program. Our Argo students expressed interest in continuing their learning during the school year. We are also working with different Illinois High Schools in our network who are interested in bringing the program to their campuses.
Watch the Highlights
We’ve created a brief 60-second video recap of our Future Tech Leaders Project Showcase on YouTube, which includes clips of our student presentations and Q&A session. Watch here!
Stay Connected
- Sign up to our mailing list for updates on Future Tech Leaders and other exciting initiatives to come!
- Be sure to follow us on social media for more immediate updates! We’re active on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube!
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