Tech Fest is going on at EVIT right now!

Tech Fest has begun! The campus is already buzzing with lots of visitors. Stop by today before 1 p.m. to get in on the fun.

You could dunk a teacher:


Get a massage:


Or check our any of EVIT's nearly 40 amazing programs, like construction and radio broadcasting:

EVIT student helps flood victims

EVIT fire fighting student Shane Walters is already showing his inner-hero.

Shane spent much of last Thursday and Friday cleaning up storm damage at his grandmother's trailer park community in Tonto Basin and helping residents move their belongings to higher grounds. One entire row of homes had been completely knocked out, Shane said. In the storm's wake was excessive water damage to many of the homes, sheds and vehicles in the neighborhood, as well as contaminated well water.

Shane's grandmother's home went mostly undamaged, he said, but he and his family came out to help others, many of whom are elderly, who weren't as fortunate.

"It's a lot of work, especially for older people," Shane said. "So they asked me to help, and I did. I really like helping there."

And he said he'll be back out there this weekend, helping out some more, despite an injured shoulder.

"They're all one big team, a unit," Shane said. "I was just helping save what they can, and that means a lot to me."

Plan your career at Tech Fest

If you're about to graduate (or have already graduated), and you're still not quite sure what you want to "do" for the rest of your life -- we may have a solution for you.

At EVIT's big Tech Fest event this Saturday, motivational speaker Dr. Charly Simmons will hold a seminar to teach adults the importance of understanding themselves and their skills before choosing a career.

And the best part is that the first 100 people to register for the seminar will also receive a FREE Kuder career assessment. This assessment helps individuals identify their interests, explore their options, and plan for career success.

Dr. Simmons will speak at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30 in the Health Sciences Center auditorium on EVIT's campus, on Main Street just east of Dobson. To register, call Doris Moore at (480) 461-4034. Walk-ins also are welcome!

EVIT staff run in P.F. Chang's Marathon

Several EVIT staffers ran in the recent P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon earlier this month.

Congrats to all who ran! Top row: Ruben Ruiz, Sharon Black, Maria Pippins. Bottom row: Katie Askins, Lynn Strang, Brian Viola. Also, Lisa French (not pictured).

Well done!

EVIT multimedia student wins logo design contest

Multimedia student Brianna Graf was honored this week as the grand prize winner in a logo design contest held by Community Bridges.

Community Bridges is a Mesa-based non-profit organization that provides clinical treatment for substance abuse, and family preservation, prevention and education services.

The organization's "Get Real Now" program, which will promote the prevention and treatment of drug and alcohol abuse, needed a cool new logo. So the Community Bridges folks asked East Valley students ages 12-18 to design logos that they could choose from.

Brianna's logo (shown above) was chosen as the winner by a panel of judges, including youth, prevention professionals, and a graphic designer. She won a 26-inch LCD flatscreen TV as her grand prize, and she will be honored on Feb. 24 by the Mesa Prevention Alliance.

EVIT video students take home film festival honors

EVIT video productions students took home several awards last weekend from the Arizona Student Film Festival.

The contest was open to all Arizona public, charter and private school students in grades three through college.

Two EVIT students won awards in a category that was new this year: public service announcements. Students were challenged to submit an original, 30-second PSA about the importance of protecting drinking water resources. EVIT student Caleb Greenwood won second place for "Superhero PSA," and Caleb and Jordan Gorla won third place for "Drastic PSA."

In the microshort category, EVIT student Ashley Arredondo won first place for "Wrong Path," and Caleb Greenwood and Jordan Gorla won third place for "Film School Rap."

In the shorts category, EVIT student Nick Labord won second place for "Picturesque" and third place for "The Principle."

Congrats to all the winners!

EVIT aviation students assemble engines

Usually I don't have to venture off EVIT's main campus to see what our students are up to. But the aviation program is set up in one of Chandler-Gilbert Community College's buildings at PhxMesa Gateway Airport, so I drove out there today to check out their work.

I walked into their "lab" and saw this:


Pretty cool, huh? All the first-year students were working on putting engines together. This one will be on display at Tech Fest. When all is said and done, it will be a complete engine with a propeller.


First-year students in the aviation program spend much of their time learning how a plane works. Some students are interested in becoming licensed mechanics; others want to direct air traffic or fly planes for a living. Either way, learning the mechanics of the aircraft is beneficial for all students.


"They understand the aircraft a lot better once they've put them together," said Lou Amadee, EVIT's aviation instructor.

Second-year students can then enter the private pilot program, where they learn to fly.