Photo courtesy of Tomorrow’s Women in Science and Technology (TWIST)

Exploring through the building, students from Title I schools move from exhibit to exhibit during Techstravaganza on Saturday, May 16. “We get kids from elementary schools every year [at Techstravaganza]. The most rewarding part of [Techstravagnaza] is seeing their happy faces as they engage in different STEM activities,” senior and TWIST co-president Rayna Kim said. “Some of these Titles I [schools] don’t have very strong STEM programs. [Having them] come to Jefferson [to] look at all the cool things Jefferson has to offer, that’s really rewarding.”

Every year, Tomorrow’s Women in Science and Technology (TWIST) hosts their public STEM activity fair at Jefferson, Techstravaganza. Techstravaganza hosts numerous exhibitions, including not just STEM clubs at Jefferson, but also outside STEM organizations. Each exhibit is a part of TWIST’s larger goal to introduce younger audiences to the world of STEM. In preparation for the big event, TWIST co-president, senior Rayna Kim, has her attention drawn to TWIST’s outreach.

“Every year we invite Title I schools in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to attend Techstravaganza for free,” Kim said.  “We cover their transportation [and] their lunch, [so when] they come here [they] have a great time. Specifically, we try to make sure our relationship with the schools are very stable and cordial. We constantly email them throughout the year. [We] ask if they need any support from us in terms of getting their students [to Jefferson], or advertising to their school community, saying we need chaperones or teachers for this event.”

Outreach isn’t just exclusive to elementary schools. Outside organizations are also a large part of Techstravaganza. Outside organizations both help fund the event and run their own exhibits, so managing these relations are also a focus.

“Sponsors and exhibitors [are] another relationship that we have to make sure that it’s stable,” Kim said.  “In order to reach out to these sponsors, we have a big spreadsheet of companies that we would like to contact or that have presented previously. These are the people who are giving us not only their time and their presence, but they’re also giving us money as well. Techstravaganza is very, very expensive. It’s almost about $30,000 this year, which is a big jump from last year, and we really couldn’t do it without our sponsors.”

At the event, TWIST also plays a direct part by showing its own exhibits. 

“[When making an exhibit] we try to make sure that they’re simple and safe enough for [people], especially elementary students,” co-president senior Christine Qiao said.  “But also [we try to make an exhibit] that is interesting too,  something that’s [not] binary or bland. For example, we do [an exhibit using] water xylophones with different amounts of water in a glass. It’s fun initially because you just play with the glasses, but [you] also learn [about] the sounds and physics behind that.”

When coordinating many groups, Techstravaganza is bound to have a few bumps during the preparation process.

“We get a lot of enthusiastic, amazing volunteers every year,” Kim said.  “But inevitably there’s people who come [to Techstravaganza], but aren’t that invested in it. Techstravaganza is always at the end of AP week, which is an extremely stressful week for [every student]. We do understand that some of our volunteers may not be completely [interested in] the experience, but I think that’s the hardest part.”

Another problem can be management. When working with multiple schools, each with dozens of students, keeping up with people and logistics can be troublesome.

“Last year, we had some issues with lunch and some people didn’t have lunch,” Qiao said.  “[We also had issues with] parent volunteers. Every year, we try to expand the amount of people that come to Techstravaganza. This year we have four times the amount of schools that were interested in coming to Techstravaganza than last year. That’s going to be something that [we’ll] improve on and try to coordinate [across] the county.”

Through all the difficulties of planning Techstravaganza, Qiao finds joy in the results of those efforts. 

“[My favorite part about Techstravaganza is] meeting the kids, Qiao said. “I love interacting with the kids [and] the parents, and getting them excited about STEM. I’ve grown a love for teaching [STEM] and like getting people excited about [it]. I was really inspired by the goal of Techstravaganza.”

Despite Techstravaganza lasting only a single day, the event itself, along with TWIST, has left lasting impacts on Kim. 

“I’ve been a part of TWIST since ninth grade,” Kim said. “The most rewarding part [is how I have] developed [by] being a part of the Techstravaganza team, first as a supervisor and now as a co-president. Seeing [everyone’s reactions] is the value of these STEM activities. It’s not just a day for people to come and have fun, [but] It’s also an opportunity. This is a stepping stone for them to become interested in a STEM field that they may have not seen or have known about before.”