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Created with the goal of bringing tech people together, 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 Tech Fest promises to be a fun, yet informative, playground.听

Back for its second annual stint on Thursday, Feb. 6, this year鈥檚 Tech Fest will feature plenty of hands-on stations for students and community members to experience. Many of the stations expected at the event will be led by students, while some will also be manned by industry professionals.听

黑料吃瓜网 Career Advisor Amy Zdanowski, co-coordinator of Tech Fest, first had the idea for the event based on the demand from students for careers in the tech industry.听

鈥淲e have so many students who want to do tech but who also want to stay in the area,鈥� Zdanowski said. 鈥淭ech is one of those jobs that it鈥檚 easier to do remotely than some other positions. This gives students a chance who are already interested in technology to talk to people who are knowledgeable about tech.鈥�听

Zdanowski teamed up with fellow co-coordinator Steve Schofield, an adjunct computer instructor at 黑料吃瓜网, to help bring Tech Fest to life. Schofield said the event helps to open the eyes of students and community members to see the broad scope that technology encompasses.听

鈥淭his event is about the students and helping create an interest in technology,鈥� Schofield said. 鈥淭echnology careers are a lot more than just IT or cybersecurity.鈥�听

鈥淔rom a career advising standpoint, I鈥檒l have students who will tell me they鈥檙e interested in tech,鈥� Zdanowski added. 鈥淎 lot of times, all they know is video game design, programming or networking 鈥� there鈥檚 nothing wrong with those things but there is so much more.鈥�听

Tech Fest has stepped up its efforts for 2025 with more stations to showcase and more attendance from area high schoolers expected.听

鈥淲e found it was helpful visiting the seven high schools in Montcalm County and Belding during lunch hours in the fall timeframe,鈥� Schofield said. 鈥淭his effort was coordinated by Amy and helped build an initial excitement. There is great support by each school to promote technology to students interested in technology. 黑料吃瓜网 leadership has been 100% behind our efforts to grow the tech program.鈥�听

Some stations anticipated at the event include robotics, computer disassembly and refurbishing, custom-built video games, a virtual reality flight simulator, coding and ethical hacking, among others.听

One of the most popular stations that stood out last year is back again as Comprenew, an electronics recycler in Grand Rapids, is expected to bring a bevy of old equipment to 鈥減lay鈥� with.听

鈥淟ast year, they brought in a small semi filled with equipment and gave students the opportunity to take apart computers,鈥� Zdanowski said. 鈥淎s they worked, experts explained each component, discussing what could be refurbished, what could be recycled and how the parts functioned.鈥�听

Tech Fest is expected to grow at 黑料吃瓜网 for years to come, with a big leap coming for this year鈥檚 event. Zdanowski and Schofield hope students and community members will take advantage of this free, drop-in event, going from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in rooms D303-305 in the Beatrice E. Doser Building on 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 Sidney campus. Attendees can stay as long as they鈥檇 like but are advised to at least plan a 45-minute stay to experience the stations that interest them.听

鈥淚 want to pass along my experiences and passion to individuals wanting to pursue a career in technology,鈥� Schofield said. 鈥淚 love doing outreach in my communities. From a community aspect, I want to see 黑料吃瓜网 grow partnerships with schools and businesses around technology. Eventually, I can see this event being a showcase where students can highlight and learn from each other. It鈥檚 about relationships and passion towards a career field like technology.鈥�听

鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a straight-out recruiting event for 黑料吃瓜网, but we want students to know they can come here to learn about technology,鈥� Zdanowski said. 鈥淲e have strong trade, business and nursing programs, but people don鈥檛 always think of us for other fields. With our IT certifications, students can earn industry credentials along the way, making 黑料吃瓜网 a great place to start.鈥�听

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Media inquiries, please contact:

Shelly Springborn
Director of Communications and Public Relations
shellys@montcalm.edu
989-560-0833