McNicholas IT students win top prizes in university competition

Congratulations to freshman Louis Smith and sophomores Eli Holland and Jonathan Byrum who earned top awards in University of Cincinnati’s Early IT Fall Competition.

Louis won first place in the Programming category for his Java script program that helps builders to calculate construction costs.  Eli and Jonathan, who took second place as a team in the Web Development category, were challenged to create an original website that highlights the UC Early IT Program at McNicholas. 

Eli said, “It was a fun experience that took the skills we learned in Mrs. Esz’s class and put them to the test. I really enjoy the Early IT Program because we get to learn skills that will set us up for the future while also getting a taste of college courses.  We get to know the UC professors a bit and benefit from their resources.” He added, “When I complete the program, I’ll be guaranteed admission to UC and I’ll actually have enough credits to enter as a sophomore my first year.”

Mrs. Jolene Esz, who teaches several classes in the Early IT Program at McNicholas, said, “We had five students participate in the contest and compete with groups from over 30 other schools. To have two groups take top prizes is really impressive!  I am so proud of our students for their ingenuity and hard work.”

Louis not only impressed Mrs. Esz, but the UC judges as well.  “The judges were so impressed with Louis’s work that they came to me and asked about his background and experiences,” Esz said.

One of Louis’s experiences as a freshman at McNick is as a member of our Robotics Club.  Moderator Mr. Matthew Brunner said, “Louis came into robotics and quickly established himself as the lead programmer.  He is talented, patient, kind, and respects his fellow programmers. He challenges others to stay engaged and works with his teammates to find solutions to problems.” 

Louis said, “I really enjoy the Robotics Club at McNick. We work as a team and do lots of problem solving. It’s a fun way to interact with technology and other people at the same time.”

Mrs. Esz noted that our Early IT Program is attracting talented students like Louis to McNicholas. “It’s a challenging program, but an exciting one, too, when you consider the head start these students have on their collegiate IT paths. We hope more and more students with interest in technology will come and take advantage of this innovative program.”
 

Did you know?

McNicholas partners with the University of Cincinnati to offer the UC Early IT Program. Students in the program receive college credits through the College Credit Plus Program that are good at any college, but students who attend the University of Cincinnati School of Information Technology have the benefit of automatic acceptance, admission as a sophomore, and paid co-op eligibility the summer after high school graduation.