Delaware is preparing students for high-demand careers by connecting classroom learning to authentic experiences where they solve problems, design solutions, and apply technical knowledge in real-world settings. Through Career and Technical Education, students are building the skills that Delaware’s workforce and economy will depend on for years to come.
That work earned national recognition at the 2026 Technology Student Association National Conference, where Delaware students demonstrated excellence in engineering, robotics, software development, game design, construction, and other STEM fields while competing against the nation’s top middle and high school students.
Delaware students earned a national championship and eight additional Top 10 finishes across a wide range of technical competitions. More importantly, they demonstrated the creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills that employers value and that prepare students for success in college, careers, military service, and lifelong learning.
The accomplishments reflect the strength of Delaware’s Career and Technical Education programs, which give students opportunities to apply classroom learning through hands-on experiences, industry-connected projects, leadership development, and career exploration. These experiences help students build both technical expertise and the professional skills needed to succeed in a rapidly changing workforce.
More than 12,000 students from across the United States and around the world participated in this year’s conference, held in National Harbor, Maryland. Delaware’s delegation included 216 students and 30 advisors representing 26 schools.
“These students are not just preparing for the future. They are already practicing the kind of creativity, technical skill, teamwork, and problem-solving Delaware will need in the years ahead,” Secretary of Education Cindy Marten said. “Strong Career and Technical Education gives students a clear line of sight from what they learn in school to the opportunities ahead of them. When students learn by doing, build solutions, test ideas, and work as teams, they develop the confidence and skills to lead.”
National Competition Results
1st Place
- Video Game Design: Evan Boles and Sophia Casella, Odessa High School (Appoquinimink School District)
2nd Place
- Music Production: Austin Ambrose, Luke Bartocci, Matthew Ilyas, and Vismay Thamidala, Newark Charter Senior High School (Charter School)
- Robotics: Harrison Benner, Jeyson Moussa, and Luke Aukland, Indian River High School (Indian River School District)
3rd Place
- Transportation Modeling: Daniel Zlock, Lake Forest High School (Lake Forest School District)
- System Control Technology: Luke Antonioli, Noah Bauer, and Wilson Yang, Selbyville Middle School (Indian River School District)
5th Place
- Mechanical Engineering: Holly Moening and Sarayu Ponnala, Postlethwait Middle School (Caesar Rodney School District)
6th Place
- Software Development: Aditya Verma, Aqsa Mirza, Hazel Gada, M’Hamed Machich, and Shreya Sadhu, MOT Charter High School (Charter School)
7th Place
- Construction Challenge: Anicha Dinakaran, Arya Acevedo, Catherine Xu, Maya Worth, Sofia Sanfilippo, and Vidhi Vora, H.B. DuPont Middle School (Red Clay Consolidated School District)
10th Place
- Structural Engineering: Defne Uygur and Mia Hyrniewicz, Newark Charter Jr./Sr. High School (Charter School)
The Delaware delegation was led by the 2025–2026 Delaware TSA State Officer Team, which represented Delaware throughout the conference and served as the state’s official voting delegates during national business meetings. The officer team included President Elisha Liu (Appoquinimink High School), Vice President Aaira Allimulla (Newark Charter Senior High School), Secretary Shikha Shah (Middletown High School), Treasurer Aarush Rohit (Newark Charter Senior High School), Sergeant-at-Arms Vedic Mukherjee (Cab Calloway School of the Arts High School), and Reporter Yashas Chittimalla (Newark Charter Senior High School). The delegation was also supported by Laksh Patel (MOT Charter High School), a former Delaware TSA State Officer and Delaware’s candidate for 2026–2027 National TSA Treasurer, who participated in the TSA National Officer election process.
Leadership Recognition
In addition to competition success, Delaware students were recognized through the Technology Student Association Leadership Academy for demonstrating leadership, service, STEM engagement, and career readiness beyond competitive events.
Gold Leadership Academy Awards
- Riddik Neetipalli, Cab Calloway School of the Arts Middle School (Red Clay Consolidated School District)
- Ayaan Shameem, Eric Gong, Evan Xie, Jai Modi, Noah Kang, Sophia Xu, and Tab Wang, H.B. duPont Middle School (Red Clay Consolidated School District)
Silver Leadership Academy Awards
- Alexander Martin, Arjun Senthil Nathan, Dylan Guo, Emmanuel Guardado, Gus Sanfilippo, Jialong Liu, Malcom Durandetta, Senal Weeratunga, Steve Chen, and Vidhi Vora, H.B. duPont Middle School (Red Clay Consolidated School District)
Bronze Leadership Academy Awards
- Dylan Karr, Sussex Technical High School (Sussex Technical School District)
- Alex Tao, Anicha Dinakaran, Arya Acevedo, Asher Helgesen, Carter Sickles, Catherine Xu, Gavin Chee, Levi Van Dahlgren, Liam Bowman, Maya Worth, Mohan Israni, Nikita Bazinovs, Rhys Damon, Sneha Angra, Sofia Sanfilippo, and Valerie Chen, H.B. duPont Middle School (Red Clay Consolidated School District)
Advisor Recognition
Delaware TSA advisors were recognized for outstanding leadership and commitment during the 2025–2026 school year.
- High School Chapter Advisor of the Year D Morelli, Sussex Central High School (Indian River School District)
- Middle School Chapter Advisor of the Year Jade Lott, MOT Charter (Charter School)
National Recognition
Delaware also received national recognition for service to the Technology Student Association.
Delaware TSA State Advisor Mike Fitzgerald, an education associate with the Delaware Department of Education, received the Technology Student Association State Advisor Years of Service Award recognizing more than 15 years of service as a TSA state advisor. He also received the Technology Student Association Corporate Member Years of Service Award recognizing more than five years of service as a TSA Corporate Member. During the 2025–2026 program year, Fitzgerald also served as a national state advisor mentor, providing guidance and support to newly appointed TSA state advisors from Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Technology Student Association is one of Delaware’s Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs), providing students with opportunities to develop leadership, workplace readiness, and technical skills through competitive events, community service, and career exploration. Through Delaware Pathways, students connect classroom learning with real-world experiences while preparing for postsecondary education, military service, and careers.
Participating Delaware schools included: Appoquinimink High School, Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Caesar Rodney High School, Conrad Schools of Science, Delmar High School, Dover High School, Fred Fifer Middle School, H.B. duPont Middle School, Indian River High School, Lake Forest High School, Magnolia Middle School, McKean High School, Middletown High School, MOT Charter School, Newark Charter School, Newark High School, Odessa High School, Postlethwait Middle School, Selbyville Middle School, Skyline Middle School, Sussex Academy, Sussex Central High School, and Sussex Technical High School.
Watch the 2026 TSA National Conference Awards Ceremony, where Delaware students, advisors, and delegates were recognized, online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrNKxdZXho0
Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006