Sugar Grove – Waubonsee Community College was the host sponsor of the Illinois Design Educators Association (IDEA) Region 3 Competition and Awards Ceremony on March 22.
The competition saw participation from 127 students from eight local high schools, with contestants competing in various areas such as Architecture Design, Engineering Design, 3D Architectural CAD, 2D Architectural CAD, Assembly Modeling, Machine CAD 3D, Machine CAD 2D, Introductory CAD, Architectural Board, and Introductory Board.
The IDEA competition was judged by a panel including community and industry partners from engineering and consulting firms, such as Burgess-Norton, Kimley-Horn, Engineering Enterprises, Inc., MTH Pumps, NASA Glenn Research Center, and the City of Aurora. A total of 29 students were selected to advance to the IDEA State Competition, which is scheduled to take place at Illinois State University on Saturday, April 20.
Architecture Design
- 1st Place – Plano High School students Emily Berceril; Tristin Cervantes; Norah Andrade
- 2nd Place – West Aurora High School students Carlos Sheets; Jacob Wadle; Megan Tierney
- 3rd Place – Oswego East High School students Emma Kincaid; Hannah Roark; Adrian Tlustochowski
Engineering Design
- 1st Place – West Aurora High School students Aaron Trainor; Kaiden Neuhas; Jonathan Hoskin
- 2nd Place – Oswego East High School students Connor McAtee; Hailey Soriaga; Haven Berry
- 3rd Place – Waubonsie Valley High School students Afrah Syed; Zahra Chishit
3D Architectural CAD
- 1st Place – Geneva High School student Justin Bobeczko
- 2nd Place – Plano High School student Hailey Shatters
- 3rd Place – Plano High School student Jake Dixon
2D Architectural CAD
- 1st Place – Waubonsie Valley High School student Soham Dongre
- 2nd Place – West Aurora High School student Cesar Acevedo
- 3rd Place – Plano High School student JJ Chavez
Assembly Modeling
- 1st Place – Oswego East High School student Jimmy Harrison
- 2nd Place – Geneva High School student Soren Larson and Oswego East High School student Dominic DeMatteis
- 3rd Place – Batavia High School student Meghan Mitchell and Geneva High School student Jackson Avery
3D CAD Modeling
- 1st Place – Batavia High School student Benjamin Hampson and Geneva High School student Charles Winterhalter
- 2nd Place – Geneva High School students Lilly Coats; Will Garlock
- 3rd Place – Geneva High School student Caroline Madden and Oswego East High School student Jensen Coonradt
Machine CAD 3D
- 1st Place – Metea Valley High School student Jacob Janik
- 2nd Place - West Aurora High School student Erik Longo
- 3rd Place - Geneva High School student Troy Dash
Machine CAD 2D
- 1st Place – West Aurora High School student Adrian Ortiz
- 2nd Place – West Aurora High School student Yaretzi Dominguez
- 3rd Place – Plano High School student Eric Cano
Introductory CAD
- 1st Place – Waubonsie Valley High School student Sophia Contreras
- 2nd Place – Metea Valley High School student Zoe Kirkman
- 3rd Place – West Aurora High School student Logan Wolf
Architectural Board
- 1st Place – Oswego High School student Arleth Antunez
- 2nd Place – Plano High School student Lily Vazquez
- 3rd Place – Plano High School student Ella Stoetler
Introductory Board
- 1st Place – Plano High School student Mikey Hailey
- 2nd Place – West Aurora High School student Kaiden Williams
- 3rd Place – Plano High School student Jacqueline Diaz
Waubonsee offers a Computer Aided Design and Drafting Program with several pathways for local high students interested in pre-engineering, engineering, civil engineering, and architectural engineering in the local high schools of the region. The program provides access to the best software in the industry and highly experienced faculty members who teach the classes with decades of active, real-world experience. To learn more about Waubonsee's CAD Program, visit waubonsee.edu/CAD.
"As professionals in higher education, we recognize the immense value that participating in engineering competitions can bring to students," stated Dr. Jeanine McMillen, Assistant Dean for Business, Technology, and Workforce Education. "This early exposure to the field contributes significantly to students' professional identity, self-esteem, and career potential while expanding the realm of possibilities. Participating in the IDEA Conference offers students invaluable hands-on experience, particularly those interested in pursuing a career in technical or engineering fields," she added.
IDEA is a non-profit organization of drafting and design educators from all over Illinois. The organization provides professional development opportunities for educators in the state and hosts multiple competitions every spring for drafting and design students throughout Illinois.
