The Virginia Scene 39-1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Virginia Scene Hello Virginia TSA! Welcome to the Virginia Scene! In case this is your first year or this is just your first time reading Virginia TSA’s nationally recognized newsletter, this is where you can find the latest information on officers, up- coming events, and even more! We hope you’re starting off the new school year right, because before you know it com- petition season will be right around the corner! Speaking of competitions, this year is going to introduce some amazing new improvements to Technosphere, as well as a fun new twist on Leadership Academy. Your officers can’t wait to see you there! Anyway, it’s time to get to know a little more about your 2018-2019 Executive Council! Officer Biographies Introducing Your 2018-2019 State President- Devan Patel “Hello, it’s me [again],” Virginia TSA, and I am beyond excited to be serving a second term as your Virginia TSA Pres- ident! I am a rising senior at Deep Run High School, and I have to admit thinking of being done with high school is both satisfying and terrifying. Thirteen years of education will be complete, but I will lose contact with some of my closest friends. The anguish of college applications will be over, but my seven years in TSA will be over as well. My journey will be filled with unknowns, but I know TSA will never cease to be by my side. I know many of you will be in the same boat as me, and I wish all of you the best of luck in your endeavors! Wow, it’s the final time I will have the pleasure of writing an officer bio for Virgin- ia TSA as a TSA member, so let me stop sobbing about the future and cherish the pre- sent... If I haven’t said it enough already, I LOVE TSA! By far, my favorite individual com- petition is Promotional Design and my favorite team competition is Debating Techno- logical Issues. TSA builds our essential workplace skills through competitions like these, and I encourage all of you to explore new competitions in search of adventure and im- provement. Being involved within your school and local community is extremely rewarding; in my opinion, it has shaped me into a more well-rounded, thoughtful person. In school, I serve as the Senior Class Vice President, President of the Math National Honors Society, Pro-Consul of the Latin Club, and member of both the Latin and Science National Hon- ors Societies. Outside of school and TSA, I love to volunteer at St. Mary’s Hospital where I work the Information Desk and help train new volunteers; and it makes me so happy to teach children to chop, kick, and be happy at Dong’s Karate. Our organization has molded me into who I am today, and I am truly indebted to the countless number of individuals who have made it possible for me and many others to participate. Over the course of our forty-first year, I challenge you to make the most of all the opportunities TSA brings your way. Reach for the stars and don’t back down from what you believe in! If you have any questions, suggestions, need some advice, or would just like to talk, you can reach me at: [email protected]. In closing, I encourage you to check out the Virginia TSA Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Youtube, and blog accounts, so you can stay up-to-date on the varie- ty of new things that your council already has in-store for you. This is going to be an awesome year; I can just feel it in my bones. Thank you, Devan Patel Virginia TSA President Introducing Your Virginia TSA 2018-2019- State Vice President—Maggie Dube I’m Maggie Dube, your 2018-2019 Virginia TSA Vice President. I attend Deep Run High School, and I'm currently the President of my chapter. Programming, Drawing, and meeting new, friendly faces is what I enjoy the most. Some of the goals I would like to achieve as the Vice President include reaching out to businesses in Virginia to come to Technosphere, getting sponsorships from those busi- nesses, increase fundraising for ACS through more entertain- ing fundraisers, and diminish the divide between the mem- bership and the executive council. As the chair of the Busi- ness Partnerships Committee, I plan on going through a list of businesses with a loca- tion in VA and inviting them to have a booth or a banner at Technosphere. As the chair of the Resolutions Committee, I plan on making some controversial - yet fun - resolu- tions for our 2019 business meeting! Thanks, Maggie Dube [email protected] (804) 873-2714 Introducing Your Virginia TSA 2018-2019 State Secretary- Virginia Suddarth Hello, Virginia TSA! My name is Virginia Suddarth and I am glad to be serving as your 2018-2019 State Secretary. I am a rising senior attending Henrico High School for the Center for the Arts program. I joined TSA as an eighth grader at Short Pump Middle School after your current Vice President, Mag- gie Dube, asked me to. I was nervous to join but ended up having an amazing time. My freshman year at Henrico was a complete change compared to my middle school years. The first thing I noticed when I walked into my advisors room for our first TSA meeting was that the room was LOUD… not to mention crowded with unfamiliar faces. There’s no doubt I was nervous, but a few awkward introductions later, I made friends with some of the funniest and sweetest people I know. Outside of TSA you can catch me drawing, painting, playing basketball or other sports, and reading. My favorite subject is science, more specifically biology. My favorite chal- lenges in TSA are Prepared Presentation, Video Game Design, and Children’s Stories. Moving on, I cannot wait to spend my final year of high school with you and our amaz- ing executive council team! I hope to meet many of you this year and as summer comes to an end I wish each and every member of our association good luck this coming school year! Lastly, if any of you have any suggestions or questions for me I would love to hear from you so don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected] ! Introducing Your 2018-2019 State Treasurer- Rebecca Collins Hello, Virginia TSA! I’m Rebecca Collins, your 2018-2019 Treasurer! This is my first attempt at writing an interesting bio (although I think it’s technically an autobio) so here goes! I am a sophomore at Abingdon High School, and this will be my fifth year as a member of this great organization, and joining was possibly one of the best decisions of my life. TSA has taught me everything I know. From parliamentary procedure to public speaking to leadership, TSA has instilled in me so many things that I will be able to use in the future. When I joined in the sixth grade, I never imagined I would ev- er run for (or be elected to) a state office! I am very excited to be serving on the 2018- 2019 Executive Council, and I can’t wait to interact with each one of you at some point throughout the year! Aside from leadership, I love to compete. Whether it’s Chapter Team, Biotechnology, Children’s Stories, or GIS, I love working with my team to accom- plish amazing things; something I’m excited to do with this year’s state officer team! Other than TSA, music is my passion. I joined band in the sixth grade, but I was exposed to music several years before. In elementary school, I partook in the Mountain Empire Children’s Choral Academy, where we traveled and performed across the region. While I enjoyed singing, I quickly realized that I’d rather be playing an in- strument. I decided to play percussion in band because within the section there is a wide variety of instruments, such as marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, bass drum, snare drum, brake drum, crash cymbals, and the triangle (just to name a few)! As I entered the eighth grade, I was given the opportunity to march in my high school’s marching band. That season, I was in the front ensemble. I loved the experi- ence, but that following year I wanted to be in the drumline. Last year, I had the privi- lege of marching snare, and I’m so excited to be doing it again along with Ashley Sook- lal, your Southwestern Regional President! As of now I probably seem like a typical “band geek” and “TSA nerd”, but I can as- sure you I have been involved in numerous activities! As a kid I loved playing sports. I enjoyed playing flag football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, softball, and I even achieved the rank of a black belt in Shitō-ryū Karate! Unfortunately, each coach wanted me to choose and focus on one sport and dedicate all my time to it. Being the overachiever I am, I thought I could manage two sports; therefore, I chose basketball and softball. When I entered middle school and joined band and TSA, I quickly realized that I could not partake in so many activities and excel in them all. I unquestionably made one of the greatest decisions of my life and chose to dedicate my time and myself to TSA and band; therefore giving me the opportunity to serve you all now! When I’m not working on TSA-related things or practicing music, I enjoy reading, hanging out at Taco Bell, drawing, looking at (and creating) memes, and of course getting those Victory Royales! If any of you heard my campaign speech at Technosphere or stopped by to talk to me at my campaign booth, you know that one of my biggest goals is to create a Fund- raising Idea Archive.