From its start during the pandemic, the Coppell Technology Student Association chapter has grown to more than 250 members. And the person to thank? Regional TSA president Michael Yakubovsky.

Yakubovsky, Coppell High School engineering teacher, was named Advisor of the Year for both middle and high school in the state of Texas during the TSA 2022 State Conference and Competition. Yakubovsky credits his achievement to his role as the TSA president of the region, a role in which he was elected to lead.

His experience in teaching multiple subjects gives Yakubovsky the tools to be the advisor for the Coppell TSA chapter. The courses he teaches include Engineering Design and Problem Solving, STEM Practicum and Computer Science Practicum.

“We wanted to get into TSA, which was convenient because the district wanted us to bring a TSA chapter here,” Yakubovsky said. “[It] fit well with our engineering and computer science classes.”

In seeing the creation of the Coppell chapter, Yakubovsky has created the perfect environment for innovation and camaraderie.

“He makes TSA an inclusive organization for anyone interested in engineering and computer science careers,” Coppell junior TSA secretary Naisha Jain said.

In his elected role, Yakubovsky has responsibilities involving the North Central Texas region.

“We put on the contests for TSA, which decides who from this region is going to go to state; only a certain number of people can go,” Yakubovsky said.

Yakubovsky has taken initiative with creating new opportunities for chapters in the region to enjoy. He has made it his goal to help schools with new chapters get set up, helping them from paperwork to answering questions about the program.

“This year, we’ll be hosting the regional contest here [at CHS],” Yakubovsky said. “I figured if I’m running it, we’re going to do it at our house.”

Yakubovsky has left a lasting impression on his students, helping more than 35 members reach the national level in their categories.

“He helped me with my competition submissions,” Jain said. “He went out of his way in the mornings and afternoons to host small groups of informational sessions.”

In the national competition, four of the students competing reached the top ten in both the webmaster and robotics competitions. The team also won first place in the webmaster section.

“We don’t have a web masterclass [and] we just now got a robotics class,” Yakubovsky said. “That’s the kind of kids we have.”

Yakubovsky makes his TSA chapter his priority, assisting the student leaders with their abilities and giving them the resources to create their own ideas to implement in the chapter.

“We’ve been able to start robotics, drone competitions, the team’s competition [alongside the] TSA contests as well,” Yakubovsky said. “The kids have gotten more into leadership and are now bringing in guest speakers.”

Yakubovsky believes in self-paced learning with guidance when wanted. His role as a mentor has been effective with communication between students and building a good relationship with the STEM community.

“He sets his classes up to be self-paced which enables his students to genuinely learn more from the activities,” Jain said.

His personality and skills help students ease into the chapter, whether they are returning members or brand new.

“I met Mr. Yak at the first TSA meeting last year after in-person learning began,” Jain said. “The way he presented himself during our first interactions instantly made me trust him.”

The student officer team is continuously grateful for what Yakubovsky has put into the program.

“Mr. [Yakubovsky] is the glue of the TSA officers,” junior TSA reporter Anish Kalra said. “We would not be here without him.”

Yakubovsky has many plans for the future of TSA chapters in his region, including opportunities such as Special Olympics robotics teams, women in STEM opportunities, regional informational conferences and cybersecurity competitions.

“Our program keeps expanding,” Yakubovsky said. “We’re working with officers on other opportunities for the students and seeing what they want to get into as a chapter.”

Follow Maya Palavali (@mvpalovalley) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.