Students at LASA can often spend hours each day on schoolwork, but many students find time to pursue extracurricular activities that they’re interested in as well. Among the numerous sports, clubs, and organizations available to students, some of the most popular are in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, known together as STEM. Clubs like Science Olympiad, Computer Science club, and many others provide additional opportunities for students to pursue their interests in these fields by participating in competitions and practices outside of school, but also introduce the additional factors of stress and time management. 

Sophomore Guha Ekambaram competes in Science Olympiad and Future Business Leaders of America. These rigorous activities are in addition to participating in  international aeronautics competitions all outside of his regular classes. 

“It’s basically just building something, testing it and building it again before competitions,” Ekambaram said. “Usually you grind really hard for a week or two before competing.

I actually pulled an all-nighter last night trying to get stuff ready for regionals, so there’s that, that was, about 7 hours, I’m assuming, of straight work for that.”

Science Olympiad is a nationwide competition that brings together middle and high school students to compete in various STEM events, such as forensics, bridge-building, and environmental science. The club is designed to challenge students in a fun and engaging way, allowing them to showcase their skills and knowledge in STEM subjects. 

LASA has a large Science Olympiad program, consisting of two full teams, and even more students who practice or compete at invitationals. Students can be extremely competitive in their contests, and spend hours after school or at home working on anything from building bridges with teammates, to studying for a cell biology test.

Junior Sunayna Adoni recently placed first in multiple study events such as Cell Biology and Anatomy and Physiology for Science Olympiad. These successes don’t come easily, according to Adoni. 

“It’s a huge time commitment for the events that I compete in, which are both study events,” Adoni said, “but it’s just like any other extracurricular where you have to put in a lot of effort if you want to succeed.”

Another area of STEM that is becoming increasingly popular at LASA is computer science. Various clubs allow students to explore the different forms of computer science and programming including Cyber Patriot, Programming in Practice, Women in Computer Science, and Project Web. Junior Jai Nagaraj is the new leader of LASA’s Computer Science club and is working to continue learning and practicing with more students. 

“We tackle a variety of things, currently what we’re doing now is we’re hosting a UIL competition for computer science to show your knowledge in the subject,” Nagaraj said, “and then later on, what we’re planning on doing is giving lectures and talks about programming and practicing various subjects that we’re passionate about, or club members want to see.”

According to Nagaraj, the club’s goal is to support and teach students as they learn more about programming. With recent developments in artificial intelligence technologies, the club is constantly changing the topics discussed, but with student interests in mind. The club’s goal is to provide resources to those struggling with or new to computer science, but it isn’t demanding of their time. 

“Occasionally, we may give things that you could try out, resources you could look at, but it’s really not like another course,” Nagaraj said. “It’s more lenient. There are certain clubs, like CyberPatriot that do require outside involvement because they’re like competition, but other than that, if you want to learn, then you can just come on back.”

The variety of choices mean that any student who is interested in the subject of computer science has a way to get involved and learn more, regardless of the time they have to do so. By choosing their own level of interest and available time, students have access to more possibilities in the field while maintaining the ability to stay in control of their time. 

Despite the possibility of a struggle, students like Adoni and Ekambaram agree that it’s worth it. They said the skills gained, feelings of success, and sense of community are the best rewards to earn from their experiences.