06 Feb STEM Students Experience Job Shadow Day with CivTechSA
SA Works hosted their 4th annual Job Shadow Day on Tuesday, February 5. They matched San Antonio high school students with local employers for a half-day of on-site experience-based learning. The community-wide event provided students insight into skills that employers value.
In accordance with our mission at CivTechSA, we were able to expose 41 students from Wagner High School to San Antonio’s growing tech community. These talented STEM students will be creating their own custom 3D model communities and neighborhoods. Their groups will be pulling inspiration from CivTechSA, GW Plastics, and San Antonio River Authority.
To kick off the morning, students gathered at the City of San Antonio’s Office of Innovation. The students heard from Smart City Coordinators Emily Royall and Eddie Johnson III. The two spoke about their careers with the city and the initiatives the Office of Innovation are currently leading. From there, students traveled to the Geekdom Event Centre to hear from San Antonio’s rising stars in civic technology, Cityflag. Cityflag’s co-founders, Alberto Altamirano, Alberto Gomez, and Eduardo Bravo, developed the 311SA app!
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IS A KEY COMPONENT TO A GREAT CITY
311SA is a civic engagement app working to create a more inclusive and transparent relationship between civil society and government. They do this through the use of government technological platforms while facilitating transparency and accountability of public management. With the app, you can report graffiti walls, potholes, and even broken street signs directly to the city.
Cityflag encouraged students to use the app and take part in solving issues in the city. They even offered a prize to any of the Wagner High School students who made the Leaderboard by May. That’s right! Students who continue using 311SA will have the chance to shadow Cityflag for a day and receive a written recommendation!
We provided students with punch cards and instructed to visit each station. They had to visit the 311 tables and learn about how impactful their city department is in San Antonio. Following this, students visited the CivTechSA table to learn about how they can engage with the COSA through the tech community. To end, students had to visit the SA Works table to fill out a survey on their experience of the day. After visiting every table, they were awarded a bag of swag filled with stickers, pens, popsockets, and candy. Students were engaged and provided helpful tips that may help them reach to make the Leaderboard in the 311SA app!
Above all, we’re so excited to see where the students go from here. As our tech ecosystem grows, CivTechSA remains committed to ensuring students are aware of the part they play in pushing San Antonio forward.