Students from Samueli Academy participated in a 3-D printing workshop as part of their final Workplace Mentoring session with PIMCO.
Before the printing got underway, students and mentors celebrated their last meeting with root beer floats and ice cream drumsticks. Over the past few years, PIMCO employees have served as mentors to Samueli students through the Workplace Mentoring program. Now, the students are graduating high school and entering a new phase of life with an abundance of guidance and wisdom from their mentors.
“Although my mentor (Vishal) has helped me with a lot of things like school work and getting a job, he’s also helped take some stress out of my life,” Mario said. “I believe it’s very important to have someone you can just talk to and [Big Brothers Big Sisters has] given that to me with this program.”
Mario plans on attending Orange Coast Community College in the fall. He hopes to eventually transfer to UCI and study electrical engineering.
A Lesson on 3-D Printing
Workplace Mentoring tailors its curriculum to fit the interests of both students and the partner corporation. It’s fitting that the final session focused on 3-D printing.
The lesson was led by several staff members from Closed Loop Plastics (CLP), a start-up based out of UC Irvine. The newly formed company turns plastic waste into 3-D printable material.
CLP gave a brief overview of procedures before giving each match the task of creating their own miniature model figures. The T-Rex and slug models proved to be the most popular options. Some students like Rafael were already well versed with the capabilities of the emerging technology. He and a group of friends recently teamed up to print a prototype toothbrush for the OC Maker Challenge.
“You can create virtually anything with 3-D printers which makes them so fun to use,” he said.
Rafael will attend UC San Diego in the fall and plans to major in chemical engineering. He ultimately hopes to use engineering to develop new mechanisms for helping people. While Rafael was sentimental about his match coming to an end, he expressed gratitude for all that the program and his mentor, Rohan, have given him.
“Every time I come here, it gets me thinking about what I’ll be doing in the future,” he said. “My mentor has made sure I always have goals in mind and that I pursue them to the best of my ability.”
For Rohan, the chance to serve as a mentor has been a mutually beneficial experience.
“I think it’s incredibly important to give back and offer mentorship to these kids. I’ve definitely seen Rafael’s confidence grow and his social skills blossom over the past two years,” Rohan said. “It would’ve been difficult to get involved if it wasn’t for this Workplace Mentoring program.”
Workplace Mentoring matches meet once a month at corporate headquarters, following a curriculum that helps students create long-term goals, prepare for higher education and future careers, and develop their self-confidence.
For more information on becoming a workplace mentoring partner, click here or contact Laura Marcum at lmarcum@ocbigs.org
