Special to
L’Observateur

East St. John High School’s Louisiana Technology Student Association received the Chapter Excellence award at the 36th annual national conference of the Technology Student Association.

ESJH students attended the conference in Washington, D.C., June 27 through July 1.

“By being the only school in Louisiana to participate in TSA, East St. John has shown its stamina of pressing forth to expose its students to a wide network of other students who are dedicated in prepping for their future and polishing their resumes for the future world of technology,” said Beverly Reed, ESJH’s TSA sponsor. “Our students were able to meet and compete with the best from every angle of our country, as well as internationally.”

ESJH students prepared projects for the national conference, competing in categories including video game design, structural engineering, architectural renovation, CO2 dragster design, VEX robotics and fashion design. They also competed in extemporaneous speech, technology teacher interview, technology problem solving, flight endurance, promotional graphics and technology debate.

Darinesha Terry, who is going on her third year as a member of ESJH’s TSA chapter, said the best part of the conference was getting to network with students from across the country.

“You meet other students from different cultures and different backgrounds, from different states and schools,” she said. “You learn to work with other people and can get connected with them.”

Students also got the opportunity to visit several sites in Washington, D.C., such as the Lincoln Memorial, National Harbor and Smithsonian and were given a private tour of the Capitol by representatives from U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy’s office.

For LTSA member Keith Landeche, the trip was his first time traveling out of state and on a plane.

He said the trip gave him perspective on the hard work needed to succeed in the technology field.

“It’s a lot harder than what it sounds like,” he said. “A lot of other people want the same thing.”

In addition to the competitions, the conference featured general session meetings, the election of national officers, award presentations, the presentation of state flags and the awarding of scholarships, including one to ESJH TSA member Judy Chen.

“I am fortunate to have dedicated students strive to show their best in representing the East St. John chapter of the Louisiana Technology Student Association,” Reed said.