HUTTO – Students in digital media and digital communications studies brought home seven first place medals from the Technology Student Association state competition in April. Hutto High School fielded 46 entries, with 18 being awarded medals for first, second or third place.
“These are part of the Career and Technical Education classes that help prepare students for college and career readiness,” said Jennifer Gonzales, CTE department chair and teacher.
TSA is a national organization of students engaged in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and the arts. The recent competition included categories for photography, graphic design, animation and audio/video production, among others.
Gonzalez said the Hutto CTE courses provide experience running all aspects of a commercial arts-based business and students graduate ready for professional work or continuing on to college.
“Students are landing real world jobs concurrently with finishing school,” she said. “I’ve had students land photography jobs right out of high school. I’ve had several students obtain jobs as teaching assistants in their freshman year of college because they’re so knowledgeable in their courses.”
In addition to the medals won at the TSA this year, students in digital CTE fields competed in the Scholastic Awards, winning two Gold Keys, three Silver Keys and eight honorable mentions with two students advancing to Nationals in New York.
At the Visual Arts Scholastic Events competition this year, digital arts students brought home 18 gold medals – the highest honor.
