2023-2024 PA State Officer Candidates

Published by Christopher L. Miller on April 6, 2020

Please take a moment to read about our candidates for the 2023-2024 school year.

President
Charlize Amper

Hey PA-TSA! My name is Charlize Amper and I’m running to be your next state president.

I’ve been inspired every year by the TSA delegation to create innovative projects while having fun and meeting some of my closest friends. It has amazed me to see how PA-TSA has withstood challenges throughout the years. I hope to continue that trend and make PA-TSA stronger than ever.

Over my five years in TSA, I have served in numerous positions on the chapter and regional levels. My most valued accomplishment yet was serving as your state reporter this year. I worked with the state officers and my student committee to create exciting promotional materials. I designed over 100 social media posts, increased the amount of reels, and created fun videos. Even though I saw engagement dramatically increase during my term, I did not limit myself to social media and expanded beyond my role as reporter by creating a state-wide game night and a How-to-TSA: States Edition toolkit.

I hope to accomplish even more if chosen to serve as your president next year. I want to strengthen alumni connections by introducing alumni day in the life vlogs with question and answer portions, assist newer and smaller chapters by creating an extensive toolkit to explain confusing aspects in TSA, and increase PA-TSA spirit by introducing PA-TSA week and spirit days at the state conference.

Please check out my campaign instagram @charlize4tsa live Wednesday night at states and when voting remember: Be a Star with Char!

Vice-President

Margo Wyckoff

Hey PA-TSA, my name is Margo Wyckoff and I’m ecstatic to be running to be our next State Vice President.

This past year, I’ve been hard at work serving as our State Historian. In total, I’ve created 20+ videos for our media and have more than doubled our average Instagram Reel viewership. Additionally, I’m grateful to have visited three regional conferences, co-chaired the Communications and Promotions Committee, and helped out in bringing new activities to this year’s State Conference. Throughout the spring, I’ve been working with my committee to craft a new video series to help all members alike with new situations in their TSA journeys.

If elected, I plan to bring new activities to all of our Regional Conferences by hosting mini challenges for chapters to compete in, like video competitions or games. I also plan to initiate community service opportunities at States in order to give back as an organization. This would ensue creating a session where members can help with projects like creating packages/items or making cards for those in need, while sharing this special experience with those from across the state. Along with this, I plan to introduce a new PA-Only event for future conferences by hearing ideas and insights directly from the members of our state delegation.

All in all, feel free to reach out to me in-person at States if you are interested or have any questions. Together, let’s make PA-TSA Pop Off with Wyckoff!

Secretary
Olivia Goldman-Smith

I am running for PA-TSA Secretary because I want to be a part of the leadership team in TSA, and help make PA-TSA even better. Ever since I became a part of TSA 4 years ago, I thought I would love to be a state officer, and I would be good at it. At first, during my first year of high school, I was a little intimidated by the state officers, so I did not interact with them that much. However, this year I realized that they are very fun and nice people, and I have really enjoyed getting to know them, learning from them, and doing activities with them. I would love to be able to be that person and leader for other TSA members, especially newer members. I think that I would be a great person for this position because I am very organized, dedicated, responsible, and a hard worker. All of these skills are important when it comes to being a Secretary. Another way that I know I will be good as PA-TSA’s Secretary is that I have been a Secretary for a total of 4 years in various organizations, so I have the experience needed. In addition to my Secretary roles, I am the Vice-President of my chapter, and I am the Vice-President of my school’s community service club. In addition, I am currently Vice-Chair of the Inclusivity committee. With all of these skills and experiences, I believe I would be great for PA-TSA Secretary.

Anvita Kallam

Hey PA-TSA, I hope you are all doing well! My name is Anvita Kallam and I’m running to be your next State Secretary. PA-TSA has been such a formative experience for me, and by running I intend to provide members with the resources they need to excel at the state level.

As Chair of the Outreach-Committee, I will expand upon PA-TSA’s current network. I had the privilege of serving as Vice-Chair of the Outreach-Committee this past year, and I have seen what the committee is capable of and what can be improved for the future. For instance, instead of exclusively seeking monetary benefit from sponsors, which proved difficult to obtain in only one term, the committee will also create materials that will make the sponsorship process more efficient to therefore create long-term relationships with prospective benefactors. Additionally, by tapping into PA-TSA’s community with alumni, we can expand our connections at both the collegiate and corporate levels.

It’s also very crucial that we broaden PA-TSA awareness to increase membership and build resources that will boost recognition of the club. As members you all work extremely hard, and it’s my priority that this does not go unrecognized in the future.

In addition to the Outreach-Committee, I’m a member of BARRC and IC. I have also served as a Region 5 Officer and as Chapter Vice-President. Remember, if you’re in PA vote Anvita-K! Please check out my Instagram (@anvita4tsa) and enjoy your time at states!

Poorvi Parikh

Hey PA-TSA! My name is Poorvi Parikh, and I’m running to be your State Secretary. Through the multitude of challenges we have faced in the past few years, we have only gotten stronger, displaying the strong nature of our organization. I have seen first-hand the power TSA holds, and can attest to the strength of our organization. However, as with any organization, there are areas to build upon, which I hope to accomplish as your Secretary.

Throughout my four years of involvement with TSA, I have served as my chapter’s Parliamentarian and Region 3 Vice President. This past year, I was part of the Outreach and BARRC committees and contributed to the efforts of creating a ‘Free Resources’ toolkit for members, drafting sponsorship letters, as well as proposing new bylaw amendments.

As your State Secretary, I hope to make our organization stronger than it already is. I aim to offer additional support and resources to schools that have little to no prior experience with TSA. Not only do I want to make TSA easier to navigate, I also hope to foster the creation of fun and memorable memories. Furthermore, I want to involve sponsorships from more corporate companies in hopes of further expanding our organization.

William Reisner

Hi PA-TSA! My name is William Reisner, and this year I’ve had the pleasure of serving as your 2022-2023 State Parliamentarian, which gave me the opportunity to connect with so many of you and make my time in TSA so much more memorable. It’s been incredible serving in this position and I’m so excited for the opportunity to continue serving you as our State Secretary.

As CSAC’s co-chair, I’ve worked with our members to bring over 20 exciting interest sessions to the State Conference. As BARRC’s chair, I led the committee in creating guides to assist you with parliamentary procedure and participating in the Business Meeting. I worked with our other State Officers to connect with our membership, produce new social media content, and develop other initiatives for PA-TSA. After a great year, I’m ready to work with you to continue making PA-TSA better for everyone.

Our current SOT continued to build on PA-TSA’s foundation, and I’ll work with you to make it even better. As your Secretary, I’ll partner with corporate sponsors and other CTSOs to ensure PA-TSA’s members get the recognition they deserve by informing these groups of all the hard work and leadership we put into this organization. I’ll expand our engagement, utilizing social media to reach a broader audience and offer new forms of sponsorship.

PA-TSA, it’s been an honor serving you this year, and I can’t wait to do it again. Remember, When There’s a Will, There’s a Way. Good luck at the State Conference!

Treasurer

Boyi Chen

Hey PA-TSA! My name is Boyi Chen, and I am running to be your next State Treasurer! With many chapters still feeling the effects of the pandemic, it is imperative that we take steps to ensure Pennsylvania TSA is accessible to everyone.

Sometimes, organizing a successful fundraiser can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. As your next State Treasurer, I will work individually with regions and chapters to discover fundraisers that will work uniquely for them. That’s not all though; to make things even easier, I will set up a library with templates for flyers, 3D printed items, and more.

Additionally, I wish to increase the support we give to the American Cancer Society. I believe that the expansion of our ACS merchandise collection to include hoodies, pins, and more will be of considerable help to them. While we’re at it, why not have fun raising money too? The State Conference is when we are the strongest as a community, so I plan on creating opportunities there to gather more money. For example, a donation center with fun milestone rewards (like dunking the State Officer team in water!) at the conference will be a great way to help the foundation.

As the State Conference closes in, I am getting more excited to see what impact we can leave together on PA-TSA. Whenever it’s time to vote, remember to vote for ya boi Boyi!

Nandita Kolli

Hey PA-TSA, my name is Nandita Kolli and I’m a junior at the Downingtown STEM Academy. I’m running to be your next state treasurer. Throughout my journey in TSA, I have competed in events like Board Game Design and Architectural Design. I serve as the Co-President of my TSA chapter at STEM. Beyond this, I serve as the Vice-Chair for the National Service Project State Committee and I am a part of the Regional Representatives and Inclusivity Committee. I also serve as the Region 5 Treasurer and helped raise money for the ACS.

If elected as your next state treasurer, I hope to implement many different initiatives. First, I would like to have more fun activities at the state conference. This includes having raffle baskets and rewards like “Pie your Advisor” for the chapter or region that raises the most money. I would also like to plan more conference events like a Minute to Win it tournament to raise money. Second, I would like to create more social media content that focuses on fundraising and the ACS. This would include making the ACS tab on the website more user-friendly and working with the Reporter and Historian. Lastly, I would like to put together resources for chapter fundraising with examples of what other chapters have done and corporate sponsorship toolkits that include companies that students can reach out to.

I am so excited to meet you at the upcoming state conference and remember to Vote for Kolli, To be Represented Boldly!

Reporter
Laahini Addagatla

Hey PA-TSA! My name is Laahini Addagatla and I am running to be your next state reporter! In the past few years, we have faced the extraordinary. We have proven our resilience and it’s now time for us to strive for more.

During my four years in TSA from my beginnings in middle school to my current duties as chapter historian and Region 3 President, I can attest to the needs of our members and the community for both virtual and in-person conferences. This year, I am a member of CSAC, CAPC, and the Regional Representatives committees as the Region 3 Lead Representative. I worked with the current Vice President, Region 3 Representatives, and Region 3 advisors to organize and host an interactive regional conference for members to support our national service project and local chapters.

As your next State reporter, I am excited to bring forth a new era of PA TSA. I will expand college and career resources and introduce TSA alumni spotlights to promote TSA’s mission. I will also develop an improved chapter and regional social media strategy kits to strengthen memberships and regional conferences. Our members are our biggest strengths and I want to support them by highlighting their achievements and helping them build connections.

Pennsylvania TSA, it is now time for us to take a step forward. Together, we are extraordinary. To learn more about my goals and initiatives, follow my campaign at the state conference. PA-TSA, wish for a genie? Move forward with Laahini!

Julia Carrasco

Hi PA-TSA! My name is Julia Carrasco, and I would be honored to serve as your next Reporter! One of the many things I love about TSA, is that all members, delegations, and community are committed to STEM and emphasize inclusivity. Nevertheless, some members and smaller chapters may feel their voices and ideals need to be represented by the PA-TSA body.

As your Reporter, I will make it my mission to highlight all aspects of the PA-TSA community to ensure that all members feel represented by the State. To accomplish this, I will feature different chapters across Pennsylvania on the PATSA Instagram and the tactics they use to promote STEM. Similarly, I will promote statewide meetings such as VCRM so that all chapters have an equal say in state affairs.

I will also refresh our alum network to provide members with vital opportunities within the STEM field by expanding our social media presence to networking sites like Linkedin to establish a PA-TSA community outside of States.

Throughout my six years of eager participation in TSA, I served as Vice Chair of two statewide committees, CSAC and BARRC. I was the Reporter for my chapter, and I currently manage my chapter’s social media!

If you want to learn more, please check out my Instagram (@ julia.4.patsa) which will go live on April 19th. I wish everyone great luck on their events and to remember that it is Just Better with Julia!

Clarence Cashour

Before joining TSA, I didn’t know much about the world of technology. In fact, I wouldn’t have known much at all if my chapter’s reporter hadn’t talked me into joining the club my freshman year. Because of him, I now have a love for the technology and engineering world and wish to make a career of it. And now, having served one year as my own chapter’s reporter, I hope to bring my love of TSA to more schools throughout the state. Some ways I intend to do this is by coordinating the efforts of reporters across the state in a media initiative and by visiting school board meetings to bring TSA to more schools across the state. If elected, I also intend to make the monthly PA post articles more easily accessible and more essential to the average member of PA TSA.

Prerna Chakkingal

Hey PA-TSA! My name is Prerna Chakkingal, and I am running to be your next state reporter! I’m currently a junior at South Fayette High School and this is my third year in TSA. TSA has taught me so much, and now it’s time to give back to this inclusive community. During my intensive leadership program at the Disney Dreamers Academy, I was able to talk to successful leaders like Halle Bailey, Marsai Martin, and Jeff Vahle. I believe in servant leadership and envision myself communicating for PA TSA using my public speaking proficiency and networking skills. I intend on taking initiatives to expand PA TSA and represent a community much larger and greater than we envision. Another mission I would embark on would be to work on mentoring TSA students who aspire to qualify for the National TSA Conference as well. As someone who attended the conference at Texas last year, I am learning everyday what it takes to qualify for the national stage. Through my participation at the youth council of my local radio station, SLB radio, I have solidified my skills to encourage students and locals to participate in career development projects. Finally, as someone that has touched the lives more than 120K+ people with my TEDx talks, I hope to grow that number and create a society that embarks on a journey for excellence. Remember, that if you do decide to vote for me, you are voting for the betterment of TSA outreach!

Haley Mosorjak

Hey PA-TSA! I am Haley Mosorjak, and I am running to be your next State Reporter. TSA helped me grow my innovative skills all while doing projects I love. By competing in TSA for four years, this organization has inspired me to become a Technology and Engineering teacher after high school. TSA has given me the opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, and most importantly challenge myself in my creative endeavors.

Over my four years, I have competed in a total of 15 middle and high school projects. I have served two years as a chapter officer and more importantly one year as a regional officer. During my term of being a regional officer, I worked as a team with six others, ran the TSA Region 8 Instagram, my own chapter’s Instagram that gained 44 followers in the course of a week, increased the attendance to the regional game nights by ten people, and joined two state committees, CAPC and Outreach. I am on the graphic designing sub-committee for CAPC and the networking subcommittee for outreach.

My goals if chosen to be your next state reporter is to create a college special interest session, that has colleges that are known to create future STEM careers participating, to keep growing the knowledge of TSA through YouTube shorts or a TikTok, and to have a virtual American Cancer Society Fundraiser through Instagram. Check out my campaign Instagram @haley4tsa.reporter starting Wednesday night! Remember to cut the slack with Mosorjak!

Narayani Sakthinathan

Being a leader is difficult, but rewarding. The truth is, there’s no playbook that tells you exactly how to act or what to say. That being said, I’m Narayani Sakthinathan and like anyone reading this right now, it’s important to note that I’m human. As state reporter, I can’t promise that I’ll be perfect, but I can promise you that I’ll use the experiences I’ve gained throughout my 5 years of TSA, to aim to make a change for the better.

When I started TSA in 6th grade, I simply wanted to win. Though, I’ve now learned that TSA is so much more; it teaches you that the memories you make are more valuable than any amount of trophies you could ever win. In return, I hope to return the gifts TSA has given me, by creating that worthwhile experience for our younger generations.

As of now, I’ve participated in the CAPC committee and have been chosen as a regional reporter. Currently, I’ve noticed that a lot of the work-like special interest sessions-the state officer team and committees have put in goes unnoticed. In the rush of just surviving, many new and younger members are unaware of the additional experiences you can gain apart from competition. I’ve experienced this many times myself! As a result, I would like to increase awareness of these events through promotional materials.

The list for what can be achieved goes on and on, but what will be achieved lies in your consideration of me as state reporter.

Sergeant-at-Arms

Summer He

Hello PA-TSA! I’m Summer He and I’m running to be your next Sergeant-at-Arms! I am enthusiastic to further contribute to PA-TSA and make all members have a wonderful experience.

As Sergeant at Arms, I will aim to make all TSA members attending the States Conference to have an enjoyable experience. I plan to focus on making PA-TSA family more welcoming and fun.

I’ve taken on many roles in TSA because of my eagerness to contribute to the organization. I’ve been deeply involved in my own chapter and I’m also a member of every PA-TSA committee, as well as being the Region 5 Sergeant-At-Arms.

I believe that making a guide for all members would help ease new members into the conference and promote/explain essential aspects of PA-TSA. This guide would compile of information such as a map, schedule to explanations and fun-facts. It would be collaborated on by various committees such as CAPC for the design and CSAC for special interest sessions.

I also plan to add more fun special interest sessions through polling PA-TSA members.

Additionally, I will propose that for every event the 1st place winners will be entered into a raffle to win a prize. This will motivate members to work on their events for a fun prize.

I can’t wait to see you all at the conference this year! And remember! Don’t be a bummer and vote for Summer!!

Harper House

Hey PA-TSA! My name is Harper House and I am thrilled to be running to be your next Sergeant-at-Arms. I have been in TSA for 5 years now, during which I have served as a Regional Officer, Chapter Sergeant-at-Arms, and Chapter Reporter. To further appreciate what goes on behind the scenes of the State Conference, I joined the CSAC committee and became its Vice-Chair. My visions for PA-TSA are to involve our Alumni more with an Online Event Help Center, seek a more equitable environment by introducing Scholarship Applications for State Conference costs, and help our struggling chapters by showing them how to increase membership through a Special Interest Session.

The Alumni are among the most experienced and equipped people to ask event questions to, so I believe more engagement from them will be beneficial to current and future TSA. I plan to create an Online Event Help Center, where current members can ask Alumni for advice and clarification.

In order to create a more equitable conference, I want to present Scholarship Applications to cover the individual costs of attending the State Conference. The cost of going to States can be a burden for many members, especially with large transportation fees.

The post-pandemic membership decrease often results in chapters struggling with recruitment. Both new chapters and recovering chapters could benefit from learning strategies to gain member quantity in a new Special Interest Session at States. I am so excited to meet all of you at States! Think Sharper Vote Harper!

Krish Mittal

Hello! My name is Krish Mittal and I am applying to be the 2023-2024 PATSA Sergeant-at-Arms. I want to be the next Sergeant-at-Arms to make TSA the best competition it can possibly be for everyone. In order to do this, I want to initiate new feedback forms, implement Keynote Speakers, and create an Interactive Digital Map. First, I want to take the feedback from each of the different chapters and regions after the State Competition to see what each individual believes should be implemented regarding as many aspects as possible such as special interest sessions, food, timings, ease of accessibility, and more. Additionally, I want to have Keynote Speakers at many, if not all, events. For instance, a NASA engineer could come to Flight Endurance to give speeches about the future, workplace, and job environment. All of these speakers will inspire future engineers. The last major reason I want to be the Sergeant-at-Arms is to create an Interactive Digital Map which allows students to choose a specific location and get directions to it. I would be a great leader for this position because of my past leadership experiences which have helped me learn proper time management and organization skills. All of my prior experiences such as my four years in TSA, being Regional Historian, captain of my robotics team, president of my own engineering club, and holding leadership positions in Key Club, Mock Trial, and more have shown me how to effectively lead and create a better place for all.

Sachita Upadhya

As someone who has been actively involved in the Technology Student Association for the past five years, I am deeply passionate about the organization. My name is Sachita Upadhya, and I would like to run for the PA TSA State Sergeant-at-Arms for the 2023-24 year. I have had many positive experiences with my many years at TSA, including participating in competitions of various levels, working on events, joining committees, or just attending the conferences and interacting with other people. These experiences have not only helped me to develop my technical skills, but they have also taught me the value of teamwork, leadership, and innovation.

I would like be the Sergeant-at-Arms as I believe that it offers an opportunity to make a difference in the organization. As Sergeant-At-Arms, I would have the opportunity to work with members from across the state to promote the use of technology, encourage innovation, and help make sure that our organization operates smoothly and effectively.

I am confident that my skills and experience make me suited for this role. I consider myself as a natural leader and effective communicator and I believe that I will be able to work with others toward a common goal, motivating the various individuals in TSA to work together to achieve success. Additionally, my passion for technology and innovation, my dedication to serving the needs of the organization and its members, would make me an ideal candidate for the role of Sergeant-at-Arms.

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2023-2024 PA State Officer Candidates