2023 #OhioTechDay gets tech trending with Ohio’s students

Columbus City Schools students visit Meta’s New Albany Data Center to celebrate #OhioTechDay and get first hand tech experience

The third annual #OhioTechDay presented by Meta was held on Friday, September 29, 2023 and got Ohio tech trending with K-12 students across the Buckeye State.

Companies, schools, and non-profits celebrated tech and innovation in Ohio and used the day to inspire students to explore innovation career opportunities through social media promotion, field trips, and career exploration days.

In its third year, #OhioTechDay welcomed more participating schools, businesses, and nonprofits than ever before. And OhioX set a new record in directly reaching students through our student designed #OhioTechDay sticker program - “selling out” the full inventory of 18,850 stickers and mailing them to schools and non-profits across the state. (there is no cost to schools and non-profits to order, we just ran out of all we could create!)

The Day Kicks off with #OhioTechDay TV - open to all!

#OhioTechDay always begins with virtual content on #OhioTechDay TV (aka our YouTube channel). This year featured nine different online programs, including a special keynote conversation with Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted.

Other virtual program topics included a special kickoff message from Meta's Ohio team, working in MedTech, high school tech interns from Cincinnati-based INTERalliance, tech career exploration and AI careers, and one-on-one conversations with tech pros who shared career advice.

Local events across the state

Not just online, there were local #OhioTechDay celebrations at companies, schools, and non-profits across Ohio. Some businesses invited local students to tour their office. Some schools had tech pros as guest speakers. And some groups used the day to explore new technology like VR headsets and drones. (check out the end of this blog for a bunch of awesome photos!)

18,850 students reached!

We “sold out” of our classroom kits and reached over 18,000 students across Ohio through our partnering #OhioTechDay schools and non-profits. Last year we reached 10,000 students… an 88+% increase!

#OhioTechDay logo

For the second year in a row, the official #OhioTechDay logo was designed by high school students. Student designers from Dublin City Schools took part in the State of Ohio’s High School Tech Internship program and spent their summer interning at OSA Technology Partners in Downtown Columbus. We turned the logo into more than 18,000 stickers and sent them out to participating #OhioTechDay schools across the state.

“The whole reason we brought the seniors (to an #OhioTechDay event) is so they could see what their next steps could be,” said Christopher Daniel, Office of Career and Technical Education Curriculum Coordinator at Columbus City Schools. “It gives the kids options for things they would be able to do in their pathways.”

— Christopher Daniel, Columbus City Schools

#OhioTechDay trending across the state

On #OhioTechDay, we encourage companies, schools, and non-profits to share their tech stories on social media so we can get tech trending in the Buckeye State!

Here are a few of the photos we’ve captured both online and IRL…