San Diego's next generation of changemakers have been hard at work, creating products, improving technologies, and developing solutions to real-world issues in their community. Now, they're ready to show off their work.
Over the past two weeks, students at several San Diego Unified high schools showcased projects in various exhibitions, presenting their work to peers, educators, news media, and members of the San Diego business community.
From guitar holders to traffic signals to motorcycle hitches and more, students from Kearny High School’s School of Engineering, Innovation, and Design (EID) showed off prototypes of their senior projects to a group of professional panelists who provided input, grading, and feedback.
Industry professionals listened to students explain their design processes and the problem they addressed using engineering and manufacturing skills. Special guests included educator, businessman and author Stedman Graham and educator, businesswoman and author Bobbi DePorter.
Meanwhile, students from Lincoln High School's Biomedical Sciences, Engineering, Media Arts Production, Computer Sciences, Fire Protection Technology and JROTC programs exhibited their projects to industry leaders.
Lincoln students in the Junior Achievement Fellows Program are preparing for an upcoming exhibition. The Fellows program connects students to San Diego's business community through a year-long leadership and work-based learning experience, where students meet each school day and develop the foundational knowledge of the local economy, personal finance, career pathways, and work readiness.
At Clairemont High School, students and staff held a town hall to identify the ever-growing dangers of fentanyl and substance abuse, shedding light to the crisis nationally and here in San Diego.
“From 1999 to 2011 the death rate in the United States due to opioid overdoses nearly quadrupled,” Academy of Health and Medical Sciences freshman Maelea Silao told the audience. "It feels powerful since I get to bring such a dangerous and deadly topic to light... and being able to bring awareness to it so that I can protect my friends and my family, and just the people who surround me.”
Their presentation was recently featured on local TV news stations, including NBC 7 and FOX 5.
