If you had the opportunity to mentor the next generation of architects and scholars would you willingly take part? Becoming a mentor brings out skills that you never even knew you had such as developing communication skills and expanding your experience working with new people. Expressing your voice is only the tip of the iceberg. While mentoring at MS582, I have built a bridge that connects me with the mentees of the next generation. I started during my freshman year in 2021, and it was a blast. Creating laser engraved art and 3D printing was an adventure I would never trade for the world. Being able to give something that I never had the opportunity to receive unlocks a new type of emotion that I can’t describe with words.
This past Tuesday, as usual, I reached the school earlier than any other student, but I had a different motive. I planned to interview the mentees. I was off to a great start with my first student, Joel Rosario, a kid who is fueled on opportunity. Joel was very interested in laser engraving and through his interests and this program, he picked up many new techniques such as learning the precise level of power in order to achieve a laser cut or laser engraving. To bring out Joel’s uncontainable creativity one of the first ever tasks was learning and creating what a Zentangle was. These Zentangles would later be engraved on puzzle pieces to create a game. Joel describes his perspective on Zentangle as an easy way of turning the key that opens his imagination. Joel using this method helps him create concepts and freely draw without restrictions. Joel excels in problem solving and brainstorming, focusing his talents on math and being an athlete.
Lucas Heinrich is another 582 student who has gained from the partnership with WHSAD. Lucas has a nonchalant vibe. He does well in all subjects and has no problems when it comes to learning new things. Because Lucas was in the founding group when this program was merely an idea, he was here to see many other projects that occurred before students like Joel. He remembers our Pokemon 3D print as well as the creation of name plates. Lucas watched carefully and has a vivid imagination for fantasy and ideas that couldn’t have been thought of on the spot. Lucas remembered Tinkercad, a 3D software design platform. This 3D modeling program was used as a way to introduce 582 mentees to 3D design and modeling. Although Lucas may face unforeseen challenges, he always remembers it’s good to be great, but it’s great to be good. Practicing over and over on something would make you better at that task.
The third interviewee had a different perspective on this program. Camila Heinrich, Lucas’ sister, sees herself as a mentor in the future. One of the many reasons being a mentor is outstanding is you can include yourself and complete the projects with future mentors. Camila is a strong artist who aligns with laser and 3D art. “Painting has always been my way of expressing myself,” Camila says. To her she finds it hard to express herself through writing. While listening to music, Camila tends to drift off into her own imagination, giving her a creative mindset. To further fortify herself she always reminds herself of Martin Luther King’s famous quote “I have a dream”. Her favorite project so far has been ornament painting. Before Christmas break, we laser cut snowmen, Christmas trees, reindeer, and nutcrackers. The mentees then painted these ornaments to their likings.
The final mentee I interviewed was David Rosas, a very energetic person who’s very fond of math. Being good friends with Camila, he shares similar hobbies like painting and zoning out to music. Painting brings David peace and allows him to collect his thoughts. Because of David’s connection with Camila his favorite project was ornament painting.
Being a mentor feels a little bit like a brother watching his younger siblings go out into the world and accomplish great things knowing that you contributed to the foundation for them to succeed in their lives. If you meditate on that, you could say that as mentors, we have become teachers and have shared our knowledge with students, teaching them what they need to know to succeed. To me mentoring these mentees is like teaching my younger brothers, putting aside everything else and focusing on molding the next generation who will move on to improve the world.