Oswego Technology Education Associations (OTEA) students continued a track record of success by winning four competitions –- and placing in two more -- at this spring’s ​Technology and ​Engineering ​Education​ Collegiate ​Association (TEECA) national conference in Virginia Beach.

In addition, two OTEA members became national TEECA board members for 2026-27 in Jenn Woods as president-elect and Gillian Lopez as vice president.

For the conference, Oswego placements included:

  • First place: Engineering Challenge by Dan Mars
  • First place: Problem Solving
  • First place: Robotics by Woods
  • First place: Manufacturing
  • Second place: Teach a Lesson by Lopez 
  • Fourth place (tie): Communication Challenge

“The key to success for this year's teams was the sheer amount of time we all put into our competitions,” Woods explained. “I know the Manufacturing team put in over 150 hours combined in the lab between the six of them. For myself in Robotics, since I competed alone, I put in over 60 hours in the lab.”

The Robotics challenge included both an off-site design notebook submission and an on-site robotics competition mirroring a Punt, Pass and Kick contest. 

“We were tasked to build the most innovative robots possible and collaborate to earn the highest number of points,” Woods explained. “Getting first place in the Robotics challenge was a big weight off of my shoulders! I would spend any free time I had during the weekdays in the lab to work on the robot.”

Woods also brought many years of experience with robotics into the competition to complement work with Oswego’s classrooms, labs and faculty. 

“I used the VEX V5 robotics system and utilized online resources relating to that,” Woods noted. “It was a lot of work but it paid off and it helps that I'm having fun! It took a lot of trial and error with testing due to the variability of the mini footballs but it prevailed.“

In winning the Engineering Challenge –- asking participants to design, program and fabricate an Internet radio by using a Esp32 Microcontroller –- Ward also put in a lot of hours of preparation.

“This was a bit difficult since I only had about four weeks to do everything and I was by myself,” Ward said. “So each week I spent about 25 to 30 hours working on getting in functioning with coding and prototyping. Then once I got all the features and components included I spent the last week and half designing the enclosure so everything could fit perfectly.”

Prepared for success

Reese Miller, president of the OTEA organization, said that Oswego’s technology program, facilities and faculty members prepare students for ongoing success in these conferences and competitions for both TEECA and ​the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA). TEECA is the undergraduate arm of the ITEEA organization.

“Within the Technology Department in Oswego, we gain some incredible skills and are taught by amazing professors that other schools don't offer,” Miller said. “Because of this strong foundation, Oswego is one of the top schools for technology education, and when we attend conferences such as TEECA (fall) and ITEEA (spring), we make that known.”

This also comes from determination and work ethic, Miller added. 

“Students in this club take time out of their day to work on competitions for these conferences, including manufacturing, teaching lessons, robotics, communications, problem-solving, engineering design and more,” Miller said.

Miller offered thanks to other members of the OTEA e-board –- Ryan Hoffman, vice president; Bryan Massian, secretary; Woods, treasurer; and Gavan Smith, media historian –- and the many students who put in the time to compete and collaborate.

“Everyone involved with this club puts in a huge amount of effort and work outside of their classes to succeed nationally, which truly sets us apart,” Miller said.

Miller and Woods also credited faculty members who helped with this competition.

“Our faculty play a major role in our preparation,” Woods said. “Professor Richard Bush, Tyler Morris, Karin Dykeman, Daniel Tryon, Ronald Alexander, Chris Stein and Mark Hardy all play major roles. They stay in the labs with us late so that we can spend as much time as possible on our competitions and getting that ready.” 

“The technology professors are what keep our club running,” Miller said. “Not only do they allow us to use labs and materials to prepare for our competitions, but they also provide support throughout the competition process and attend the conferences with us.”

Ward added appreciation for the amount of support and insight that helped lead to the win.

“It helped a lot to get some guidance and direction with some things that I was trying to figure out,” Ward said. “I'm glad that I was able to go to join OTSA for at least one semester before I graduated because these are the experiences that you keep for a long time. I'm glad the department has these opportunities to be able to travel and network with other technology education educators.”

“The Technology Department is a close-knit group of students, many who come in having done competitions before and just a lot of grit in general,” Woods noted. “The department has amazing resources that we are able to utilize for our competitions and reliable advisors that aid us when we seek guidance. We join mainly to have fun but once the competitions release and we decide who's doing what, a competitive spirit establishes itself in all of us.”

The competition and conference always provide great opportunities to learn, compete and network.

“I made some great memories with everyone who went to the conference,” Ward said. “I was able to get closer to some people in the department that I haven't really seen as much before. It was really fun as well to talk to the other tech students at other schools, and see how they were doing with the challenges and see their submissions too. There were many vendors there as well so I was able to speak to them, and gave me some ideas on things to consider once I get inside the classroom.”

Future leaders

The icing on the cake is learning that two Oswego students in Woods and Lopez will have an opportunity to develop additional leadership skills while helping guide future conferences for TEECA and ITEEA.

“We have never had two students on the national board at the same time and never had anyone on the way to the presidency,” said Bush said.

“When I found I was selected to be the President-Elect of TEECA, I was excited and the role is something I'm looking forward to,” Woods said.

“I like being in leadership positions and my job is to mainly learn under the current president and fulfill duties delegated to me when it comes to setting up things for the next ITEEA conference,” Woods added. “I was also made aware that there has never been an Oswego president and vice president at the same time before so this is monumental.”