Students get early jump on engineering at MHS Extension at MUSD Innovation Campus

Sophomore Long Nguyen hopes the skills he learns in Ms. Berbawy’s Engineering Class will set the foundation for succeeding in his desired career path. The 16-year-old enrolled in the inaugural student cohort at the Milpitas High School Extension at the MUSD Innovation Campus to accomplish just that.

“Not exactly CAD (Computer-aided Design) specifically but the engineering aspect is what led me here, so I can start creating my own things,” said Long Nguyen, who was learning a web-based software design program. “Also, for my future, I wanted to really improve the world in some way and change the world in some way with the abilities that I would learn here, especially here because it is all about innovation.”

His classmate, Bryan Nguyen, has a similar focus of engineering and the first-year innovation extension campus illuminates that desire in all who work and learn there. “I think most kids in here are trying to get into the engineering field so I think CAD and learning it right now is very important so you get used to it and more familiar with the programs we’ll use in college and maybe in your career,” Bryan Nguyen added.

The Introduction to Engineering Class is one of three that Ms. Berbawy teaches along with Computer Science and a semester-long CAD course. “My goal with this class is to get the kids excited about engineering, understanding that it’s not scary, it’s not inaccessible,” she said.

On this particular day, students are learning how to use OnShape, a product development platform that brings together all the tools needed to develop a product from conception to production.

“Now we’re working on how to use CAD to do 3D printing and general design,” said Bryan, who has some familiarity with basic CAD but is getting his first taste of this more advanced program. “I love this class. It’s amazing.”

“We are doing a lot of math, a lot of physics, a lot of science but it is all applied and it’s project based so it makes it way more accessible and understandable for the kids,” Ms. Berbawy said. “It’s fun to see them excited about their own ability and freedom to create things.”

Throughout the school year, students will use this software program to design their own creations and produce them on a plethora of 3D printing machines in the spacious classroom.

“She’s amazing. She supports us in any way we ask. If we need help with math homework, she can help us. English homework, she can help us. But especially with CAD she knows how to fix problems and let us solve it by ourselves,” Long Nguyen shared. “I feel like I’ve learned way more already this year than I ever did all of last year.”

The introductory class is the first of three engineering courses that the students will advance through while enrolled in the MHS Extension at the MUSD Innovation Campus.

“My goal is that the kids can explore their interests and by the time they are seniors they can make anything,” Ms. Berbawy said. “The possibilities are endless.”

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