From Harford Community College:
Harford Community College’s University Level Destination ImagiNation (DI) team brought home 3rd place in this year’s Global Tournament. DI Global Finals, the “World’s Largest Celebration of Creativity,” is the culminating event of every season. The “Fighting Owls” proudly represented Harford Community College with more than 17,000 students, parents and volunteers in attendance at the event held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville May 23-26.
The HCC team consisted of four students, Amanda Drake, Nathan Shriner, Timothy Sturla, and Juseph Gomez-Perez, all currently working on degrees in education, engineering, and computer science at the College. HCC employee Laura Drake served as their team manager. The team decided on the Engineering Challenge, “Drop Zone,” which requires teams to design, build and test load-bearing structures made out of specific materials. Each Challenge requires teams to tell a story through a performance in the presentation of their solution.
More than 1,400 student teams from 38 U.S. states, six Canadian provinces, and 19 countries—including Australia, China, Indonesia and Qatar—competed in the 2018 Global Finals tournament. Teams showcased their unique solutions to challenges in six categories, including Engineering, Scientific, Fine Arts, Technical, Improvisational and Service Learning.
The mission of DI is to develop opportunities that inspire the global community of learners to utilize diverse approaches in applying 21st century skills and creativity. The program encourages teams of learners to have fun, take risks, focus and frame challenges while incorporating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the arts, and service learning. Each participant learns patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem-solving process.
Destination Imagination, Inc. is a nonprofit, volunteer-led, cause-driven organization. They are cause-driven to inspire and equip students to become the next generation of innovators and leaders. All of the programs are Challenge-based, and they teach the creative process from imagination to innovation. The goal is to help student teams learn to be creative in every aspect of their lives.
The College extends their sincere congratulations to all of the Harford County teams who attended the Global Finals: Elementary Level—Hall’s Cross Roads, Hickory, and Homestead/Wakefield; Middle Level—Bel Air Middle School; and Secondary Level—Bel Air High School.
Nice work, people. Congratulations on a job very well done.