Support TSI

From a Broken Soldering Iron to a Student-Built Innovation Lab

The Technology Support Internship (TSI) is a hands-on career-readiness program that empowers high school students to repair, build, automate, and innovate real technology systems used across the school. Students serve their community through Chromebook repair, parts replacement, digital inventory and ticketing systems, robotics development, artificial intelligence projects, and electronics built completely from scratch.

This is not a simulation-based classroom.
This is a live, student-powered technology operation inside a working school environment.

A Program Growing With Purpose

Beginning in August 2025, TSI launched a major phase of expansion focused on real-world technology service, automation, and student workforce development. The program continues to grow through active system development, infrastructure upgrades, and hands-on student engineering projects that directly support daily school operations.

From Paper & Chaos to a Student-Built Digital Operations System

One of our students transformed our paper-based Chromebook tracking and repair process into a fully automated web-based system that now tracks inventory and service tickets in real time.

What once relied on handwritten logs is now:

A live website that automatically tracks devices
A digital repair and service ticketing platform
A centralized dashboard for staff and students
A clean, user-friendly interface designed for fast daily use

The system is continuously improved by students as new features are added, workflows are refined, and future robotics and kiosk integration is prepared.

This student-built platform eliminated confusion, reduced lost devices, improved response times, and created professional-grade organization across the school.

How Donor Support Transformed the Space

Not long ago, students worked with broken table legs, ripped and unsafe chairs, poor lighting, and limited tools—a space that was not inclusive, not welcoming, and not safe for students of different physical abilities.

Through donor support, that environment was transformed into a clean, safe, industry-standard innovation lab built for everyone.

Broken, mismatched tables with unstable legs

Safe, solid workstations

Ripped, broken chairs and safety hazards

Secure, comfortable seating

Dark work areas

Bright, professional lighting

Not inclusive or welcoming

Accessible, inclusive design for all students

One broken multimeter

Multiple working multimeters

"Let's hope this works"

"It will work... or at least it should!"

From hesitation → to student confidence, pride, and ownership

Today, staff and students regularly compliment the space. TSI students proudly bring their friends just to show what they are building.

When you believe in students, they believe in themselves.
And when they believe in themselves—real learning truly begins.

Equity, Accessibility & Belonging

TSI proudly serves students with IEPs, physical challenges, and diverse learning needs. Donor support allowed the lab to be built for everyone:

Height-adjustable tables

For physically disabled students

Oversized chairs

So every student feels welcome and comfortable

Magnification lenses

For visual accessibility

Precision tools

For fine-motor challenges

Canvas-based modular instruction

So every student learns at their own pace

In this room, no student is excluded because of limitations.

Built From Scratch: Real Electronics & Soldering

Students don't just assemble pre-made kits—they build real systems from individual components.

Students work with:

  • Stereo radio kits
  • LED lighting kits
  • Motorized vehicle kits
  • Power distribution projects
  • Circuit-level soldering builds

They learn:

  • Heat control
  • Current flow
  • Component identification
  • Circuit logic
  • Precision and safety
  • Troubleshooting at the smallest scale

This is where confidence is built at the foundation level.

Advanced Systems in Active Development

Through donor support, we now have:

Robotics parts for the autonomous delivery system "Colly"

Sensors, controllers, cameras, and power systems

Professional-grade automation and AI workstations

Jetson Orin Nano Super AI kits

Full 3D printing and fabrication capability

Students are currently:

Preparing for campus mapping
Testing navigation systems
Developing control software
Building toward full system integration

These are real engineering builds—not classroom demos.

A Rare Student-Built Robotics Program

Very few high schools—if any—are designing and building a full autonomous delivery robot from the ground up the way TSI is with Colly. While most programs rely on premade robotics kits, TSI students are creating a real, custom-built system for school use, using:

Individually selected motors, sensors, and controllers
AI computing hardware
Custom wiring and power systems
Student-written code and navigation logic
Real-world environmental mapping inside an active school

This is not an off-the-shelf robot.
This is a student-engineered autonomous system built for real school operations.

In many ways, this mirrors the kind of engineering work typically seen at the college level—yet these students are doing it in high school, with real responsibility and real impact.

When students are allowed to dream—and when they are supported with the right tools—they don't just learn the future… they begin to write it and create innovation themselves.

Learn More About Colly

Why "Colly" Matters – A Donor Spotlight

Colly is more than a robot. It is a symbol of what happens when students are trusted with meaningful work.

Through Colly, students learn:

  • Systems engineering
  • AI navigation and mapping
  • Mechanical design
  • Electronics and power management
  • Software integration
  • Team-based problem solving

For donors, Colly represents:

  • A visible real-world return on investment
  • A powerful student motivation tool
  • A showcase of innovation in action
  • A living example of what hands-on education can become

Colly is not just delivering devices in the future—it is already delivering confidence, skill, and belief into students today.

Future Expansion of "Colly"

Colly is designed to grow as student skills grow. Planned upgrades include:

Robotic Arm

Attachment for opening doors and object handling

Docking System

Self-charging system

Software Optimization

Ongoing navigation optimization

Enhanced Motors

Stronger motors and alternative tire systems

Modular Hardware

Upgrades driven entirely by student design

The current Colly is the "Earth version", designed for safe indoor school environments. Long-term, students will also design a "Mars version"—built to handle harsher terrain and extreme environmental simulation. This will serve as a research platform for advanced autonomy and exploration engineering.

TSI is preparing to apply for a NASA-related STEM grant either this year or next, based on development readiness.

A Pressure-Free Innovation Environment

TSI is intentionally built as a pressure-free learning environment—not a push-push system. Students are encouraged to:

Think deeply
Experiment safely
Make mistakes without fear
Iterate designs
Grow confidence through real ownership

True innovation grows from curiosity, trust, and time to explore—not pressure. Donors help protect this culture.

AI Fortune Reader & Community Engagement

Let's be honest—who doesn't like to read a little about their fortune?

TSI is building an AI-powered interactive fortune-reader kiosk for CTE showcases and community events. This system will:

Spark curiosity and excitement about AI
Demonstrate ethical, safe public AI use
Draw students and families toward technology programs
Create awareness of student innovation
Serve as a student-operated fundraising system

Students design, build, code, and operate the entire system themselves.

Autonomous Delivery & School Logistics

Once campus mapping is complete, the delivery robot will:

Sync with school kiosks
Deliver and collect Chromebooks
Transport staff packages
Navigate safely through mapped school environments

This creates a student-built autonomous logistics system uniting robotics, AI navigation, electronics, IT operations, and school-wide device management.

Most Urgent Need: A Private Local AI Server

To fully power robotics, kiosks, and advanced AI projects, TSI urgently needs funding for a dedicated private local AI server.

Power robotics and kiosk intelligence
Protect student and school data privacy
Allow students to train and test AI locally
Support advanced automation
Eliminate dependence on external cloud platforms

No funding has yet been secured for this server.
This is our most critical next step.

Future Vision: Student Manufacturing with a Laser Engraver

Our next major goal is acquiring a laser engraver, allowing students to:

Manufacture custom circuit boards
Create engraved enclosures
Produce educational kits
Build sellable student-designed products
Supply other CTE programs

This introduces:

Manufacturing
Product design
Quality control
Business systems
Revenue sustainability

More Than 40 TSI Students—Over 1,000 Students Impacted

While TSI directly trains 40+ student interns, the systems they build, repair, and maintain support over 1,000 students across the school community.

Donors are not just supporting one classroom.
They are supporting an entire learning ecosystem.

College Readiness Through Canvas

TSI uses Canvas, the same learning platform used by most colleges and universities. Students already know how to:

Navigate college-level digital systems
Manage assignments and deadlines
Collaborate professionally online
Communicate within academic platforms

They enter college prepared and confident.

Our Partners & Early Believers

We are deeply grateful to the organizations that believed in our students:

Amazon Future Engineer
DonorsChoose
Learning Technology Center (LTC)
Illinois Digital Educator Alliance (IDEA, formerly ICE)
IVC Educational Foundation
Illinois Valley Central High School

Special thanks to our Principal and Assistant Principal, whose leadership, trust, and support made this transformation possible.

Mr. Bergman - Principal
Mr. Bergman

Principal

Mrs. Carly Emken - Assistant Principal
Mrs. Carly Emken

Assistant Principal

Why Your Support Matters

Your support becomes:

Student skills
Student safety
Student confidence
Ethical AI development
School-wide technology services
Community innovation
Workforce readiness

From a dark, unsafe room to a bright industry-standard innovation lab, every dollar has created real transformation—and every future dollar multiplies that impact.

The Technology Support Internship is not just a program—it is where students discover that they are capable of building, fixing, and leading.

When you support TSI, you are not funding equipment.
You are funding belief, dignity, confidence, and real opportunity.

Learn About Colly Back to Home