From Student to Industry Partner: USC STEAM Course Comes Full Circle

Four teams of Upper St. Clair High School students recently presented their latest projects to a panel of professionals from DMI Companies and Airoverse, in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. The presentations are an integral part of the Honors STEAM Innovation & Consulting course.

Now in its 12th year, the course challenges students to solve authentic problems faced by businesses and organizations. Since its inception, Upper St. Clair students have collaborated with engineers and executives from a wide-range of companies, including EAFab, Eaton Corp, Mascaro Construction, Clearview Credit Union, All Clad Metalcrafters LLC, Universal Electric, OZ Enterprises and Tom Brown, Inc.

Developed by technology education teacher Fred Peskorski in collaboration with South Fayette High School educators Brian Garlick and Tom Isaac, the program immerses students in hands-on, project-based learning that mirrors real industry work.

Through these partnerships, students gain exposure to industries and environments they might not otherwise experience.

“Students understand that things are designed, manufactured and constructed, and maybe some of them have seen a few videos of different processes,” Mr. Peskorski said. “That pales in comparison to standing in a manufacturing space and hearing the noises, smelling the smells, and seeing raw materials turn into something that is used in our everyday lives.”

Mr. Peskorski describes these first-hand, on-site experiences as powerful learning opportunities.

“There is something pretty powerful about visiting a business where you are greeted by a receptionist, meet engineers, executives, salespeople and marketing agents while seeing where they do their office work, then walking onto the manufacturing floor where raw materials are converted into saleable goods and finally shipped out to customers,” he added.

These real-world connections also fuel student motivation.

“They aren’t chasing grades or special recognition or some sort of resume padding,” Mr. Peskorski said. “They genuinely do not want to let their mentors or teammates down.”

The partnership with DMI Companies and Airoverse represents a full-circle moment for the program. Upper St. Clair alumnus Dan Quiroga – now business development manager for Airoverse – was among the first students to take the course under Mr. Peskorski. Today, he is helping guide the next generation of students through the same experience that helped shape his own career path.

“It's such a full-circle moment,” Mr. Quiroga said. “Having benefited from the course myself, it’s rewarding to now do everything I can to support these students as they gain the same kind of real-world exposure and confidence.”

Mr. Quiroga’s parents, Pedro and Claudia Quiroga, own and operate EAFab Corp., which has been a foundational partner since the course launched.

“The Quiroga’s have been instrumental in the long running success of this course,” Mr. Perskorski said. “I’m hopeful that this experience with Dan will carry on into the foreseeable future. He’s gone from a remarkable student to a remarkable industry leader.”

A 2016 Upper St. Clair High School graduate, Mr. Quiroga holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and is currently pursuing an MBA at the University of Pittsburgh. He credits the Honors STEAM Innovation & Consulting course with helping shape his career path.

“This learn-by-doing experience reframed the purpose of school for me and helped me solidify my choice to study mechanical engineering in college,” he said. “The course helped me see how technical knowledge and business strategy come together, which steered me down the path toward my current role where I do that every day.”

He also valued the opportunity to work directly with professionals on real business challenges.

“I remember the eye-opening moment that came from interacting with professionals, working on actual business problems, and being held to real-world expectations,” Mr. Quiroga said. “I started to realize that all of my coursework and learning were helping me build the skills necessary to excel in a professional environment.”

Mr. Peskorski echoed the value that these real-world experiences bring to the learning process.

“When students are working on real-world problems, they get to see how the things that they’ve learned in their classes, and the experiences that they’ve had personally, connect to something that is tangible,” he said. “I’ve seen a natural motivation for students to get something right because they understand that it matters.”

Throughout the course, students develop strong communication and presentation skills while working with corporate mentors. They learn to communicate professionally through emails, meetings and final presentations.

“Oftentimes, the success of these student teams comes down to how well they can articulate their proposals, and the processes that they went through to develop them” Mr. Peskorski said.

Students start the year learning about human-centered design and how to approach problems intentionally using a number of different problem-solving methods.

“As this is a problem-solving course, not an engineering course or a business course, students are often challenged with problems outside of their comfort zone,” Mr. Peskorski said. “They learn to tackle each problem methodically and with a critical eye.”

Recent challenges presented by DMI Companies and Airoverse included designing a system to track tool and cart storage, developing an interactive trade show display to showcase Airoverse’s smart control capabilities, creating a user-friendly safety guard for a roll former and engineering a jig to verify lock seam integrity.

“We were definitely impressed with the students,” Mr. Quiroga said. “Their work was far more advanced than people would expect at the high school level. Most of their ideas were very practical and could reasonably be implemented with only a few tweaks.”

Mr. Quiroga encourages students considering the course to take advantage of the opportunity.

“Take the class,” he said. “Not only will you have a great teacher, but the course will give you a real sense of how you can apply your skills outside of the classroom.”

Next, students in the Honors STEAM Innovation & Consulting course will partner with Mascaro Construction, continuing the program’s tradition of connecting classroom learning with real-world application.

Organizations interested in partnering with the course are encouraged to contact Mr. Peskorski at fpeskorski@uscsd.k12.pa.us.