Elder recently took 8th place out of 48 high schools at TechOlympics Expo 2014. The annual event, sponsored by the INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati, took place February 21-23 at the Millennium Hotel. More than 500 area students turned out for a weekend of fun, learning about their futures and making connections.

Panthers attending the conference included Jimmy Alexander, Brandon Allen, Anthony Bauer, Michael Kay, Matt Kenkel, Matt Murray, Noah Mastruserio, Jacob Mueller, Noah Peterson, Richard Rentz, Jimmy Riegler, David Stein, Patrick Sullivan, David Wehner and Nate Wuest. The TechOlympics team was led by head coach Mr. Rick Nohle and assistant coach Mr. Jeff Fuell.

Matt Murray had a good time at the conference. “Even though there were some difficulties on the first day regarding the food situation, it really opened my eyes to what exactly an IT job requires in the future. I even talked to a representative from UC about possibly doing a minor in IT, which I think would be a great asset to have in the future as the world becomes more technologically advanced.”

When asked about winning the Academic Quiz, which earned Elder 10,000 points, Murray smiled and said, “The thing that made it so distinct was it was an Elder achievement. I walked in there, and there’s all these public school kids, and none of them looked like they had seen a weight room in their entire lives. It was good to say, ‘We’re not the stereotype that you think we are. We’re smart, and we can play at your level too.”

Mr. Nohle, head coach for Elder’s team, was impressed by TechOlympics. “This was my first TechOlympics, and I was very impressed with how well the staff (composed primarily of high school and college students) planned and executed the whole event. Besides the fun competitions in robotics and gaming, there were many valuable talks and break-out sessions to help high schools students interested in IT careers polish their resumes, improve their interviewing skills, and make connections with other like-minded students, college representatives, and leaders from business and industry. I would highly recommend it to any student with an interest in technology.”

Some of the Elder students who attended TechOlympics have been offered jobs for this summer, working at Cincinnati’s top businesses. The INTERalliance offers paid summer internships at companies such as GE, P&G, Fifth Third Bank and Great American Insurance.

The event was a success, with students learning about their potential and how Cincinnati is a great place to find a good job with an amazing company. TechOlympics is the biggest teen IT convention in the nation, and its significance grows each year.