IHS TSA Attends National Conference as Only Team from New York State to Qualify

    IHS’s Technology Student Association (TSA) attended the National TSA Conference in June as the only team from New York State to qualify. Fifteen club members traveled to compete in events showcasing skills in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics, with a number finishing as global finalists. 

    The conference took place at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center just outside Washington, DC. Two days before the conference began, club members embarked on a six-hour bus ride to the hotel, which features a massive indoor garden in its central atrium, complete with a winding river. Once they arrived, the team immediately kicked into high gear, preparing for their events while also meeting students representing schools from across the country and around the world.

    Senior Jamie Pritchard ’27 represented New York State at the conference as the delegation’s acting president. In this role, Pritchard participated in the parade of state officers, where representatives from each state introduced themselves and shared a fun fact about their state. His fun fact was about the ManhattAnt, an invasive ant species once believed to only be found on Broadway, a street in the New York City Borough of Manhattan.

    Another tradition, characteristic of the National TSA Conference, is pin trading. Before the competition, each US state and participating foreign nation designs a pin to trade with other conference attendees. The pins become especially valuable when they are rare, meaning states and countries with fewer participants tend to have pins that are harder to find. With Ithaca’s fifteen members representing the entire New York delegation, New York pins were in particularly high demand. In the days leading up to and throughout the conference, IHS TSA members collected pins from across the country and around the world to bring home.

    The following days were filled with competition. Because each member competes in different events, and because those events vary widely in format, each contestant’s experience looked drastically different. Some members had to complete projects before the conference even began, spending their time at the conference having their submissions evaluated. Alternatively, some sat for written exams, while others built structures or solved problems on the spot. The events offered a mix of individual competition and teamwork.

    After the preliminary rounds, a number of IHS TSA members advanced to the semifinals, competing for a spot among the top ten finalists in their respective events. Several IHS students ultimately reached the final round, becoming top-ten global finalists and obtaining a finalist pin.

    Elijah Kelly ’26 placed fourth in Promotional Design, where he used computer graphics to create a brand design. Jenny Hong ’29 placed fifth, while David Janosi ’27 placed tenth in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Engineering, in which participants used CAD software to develop three-dimensional representations of engineering subjects such as machine parts, tools, devices, or manufactured products. Jeffery Zhao ’28, Theo Bewley ’28, and Riley Hagadorn ’28 together placed ninth in Systems Control, an event in which a team analyzes an on-site industrial or automation problem and builds a computer-controlled mechanical model to solve it.

    Outside of competition, TSA members also had the opportunity to explore Washington, DC, visiting the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum as a club. The team also bonded back at the hotel, where members watched reality television shows such as Shark Tank together.

    TSA President Ada Iyer ’27 described the conference as a major victory for the club. “I’m so proud of our team and our amazing performances,” she said, adding, “I’m sure next year we’ll have even more [success] because we’re just going to keep getting better and better.”

    Iyer explained that, because TSA’s events are relatively independent of one another, the club has “been pretty unstructured.” As president, however, she intends to take steps to help members better prepare for competition.

    According to Iyer, the rules governing TSA events can be complex and difficult to understand, sometimes resulting in unexpected disqualifications. She plans to have the club create guides compiling relevant rules and resources to make events more accessible to new participants. She also hopes to organize trial competitions during club meetings, giving new members a chance to experience what an actual competition might look like.

    With another year ahead, IHS TSA is gearing up to build on its success at the national level and continue to dominate on the New York State TSA scene. Iyer hopes that even more new members will join the club and help carry its successes forward. TSA meets every Monday after school. During competition season the club meets every Thursday, as well.