A Look Into the Technovation Club

BY JOSANDY JEUNE & SABRINA MONTEIRO

Advisor Paul Marques. Photo by Josandy Jeune.

The Technovation Challenge was created to help girls become more interested into the world of technology.

This challenge is for middle school and high school girls only. There is a small percentage of girls who actually join clubs such as these, none the less actually having a career in this field.

The Technovation Club has everything to do with all sorts of problems occurring in different countries worldwide. Students all around the world are competing in the Technovation Challenge, for the benefit of their schools and for the benefit of their education. These communities are having problems and by doing this, there will be a $10,000 prize for whichever team creates the best app. The money will be to have a safer and educated-driven environment.

The advisor of the club is Paul Marques. Marques has been running this club for three years. What influenced him to start this club is as the Computer Science Director and a teacher at Malden High School, he noticed that a lot of girls aren’t really involved in technology classes.

Marques states that “a majority of the class is made up of males and that only 5- 10% of girls make up his class. Sadly, that is what it’s like in the real world.” He started this club to help change that.

Marques role as advisor is more of a facilitator. The girls are really learning on their own, and coming up with their ideas on their own too. He does aid with making the business plans, helping with software, the demos, and presentation but the majority of it is the girls at the club.

Marques has seen that the club has been getting bigger this year and says that the experience so far has been great. He wrote a business plan for the first time and had a good time tackling that down and learning how to do that.

All in all, Marques really has enjoyed the experience of the club and working with his students. He finds that this club really introduces the students to the most cutting edge if the real world: entrepreneurship.