What is STARS?

STARS (Students & Technology in Academia, Research, & Service) is an alliance of dedicated and engaged young professionals who work with the community and on campus  to increase the participation of the under-represented in IT/computing disciplines.

The FSU STARS Alliance is organized around and serves to contribute to three main goals:

1.      Increase representation of women, under-represented minorities, and persons with disabilities in the IT & communication fields.

2.      Educate and bring awareness to children and young adults in grades K-12 about computing practices, education programs, careers, and service.

3.      Develop and prepare Florida State students (through servant leadership) to step up and become pillars of both the IT & communication fields as well as their community as young professionals and leaders.

What the Stars Alliance has done

FSU’s STARS has won numerous awards for its activities, which include both local (in Leon county) and statewide efforts.  FSU STARS students have promoted FSU and CCI at various schools in Tallahassee, Tampa, Ft. Myers, Sebring, Bradenton, Orlando, Melbourne, Jacksonville, Pensacola, Panama City, and Marianna. 

In addition to presenting to these middle and high schools about information technology and communication professions, STARS has:

·         Judged competitions in the areas of technology and communication.

·         Judged leadership, technology and communication workshops at the Florida Technology Student Association Conference.

·         Mentored K-12 students technology clubs around the state.

·         Created a K-12 STEM online resource to engage with students remotely (connect.cci.fsu.edu).

·         Conducted communication, leadership, and career training at Florida schools, on the FSU campus, and with technology employers

·         Produced videos on the impact of STARS and the information technology and communication profession.

·         Coordinated speakers and recruiters to interact remotely with students. 

·         Hosted a Women in Leadership Conference (now in its 8th year), FBI Conferences, and partnered with local Technology Councils

How can YOU help?

You can help Florida State and STARS reach more students and promote our programs around the state with your donations. Our travel has been limited by COVID in 2020 but we have transitioned to online camps, online school visits and classroom talks, and mentorship virtually.  We have also developed a new high school website (connect.cci.fsu.edu) that we are promoting to school teachers.  By supporting the outreach needs of STARS members, you can help reach children and young adults through mentorships, presentations, workshops, conferences, and clubs.  Your support allows us to further develop our employer pipeline and showcase our top students to national employers.

Your support for STARS is critical to ensure that our students build the communication, teamwork, and leadership skills needed for successful careers in information technology and communication.

This past year (19-20), STARS conducted 109 activities, devoting over 235  hours of actual event time to reach 8077 students.