At Chamblee High School, a variety of pathways are offered, allowing students to explore their career interests while planning for a life after graduating. Students who follow the engineering pathway take multiple classes introducing them to a variety of engineering concepts, design techniques, and career options. When talking to students, many offered different perspectives on how useful they have found the pathway.
For some students, this pathway served as an introduction to the field of engineering, possibly broadening their interests and future opportunities.
“As of now, I’m hoping to pursue engineering at Georgia Tech. It’s been interesting to learn about the design process and how to create a new project,” said Javier Valanju (‘29).
Others explained that these classes have reinforced their existing interests.
“I like to put stuff together outside of school. The classes at Chamblee have helped me understand the processes of engineering and architecture, which is something that I’m interested in pursuing in college,” said Noah Marcus (‘29).
Implementing a diverse curriculum, the engineering pathway allows students to create unique projects. Cecilia Curran (‘28) explained how important she has found this opportunity to be in the class.
“We’ve been able to apply engineering concepts we have already learned through hand-made projects. Right now, we’re creating wooden-type structures, which has been really cool,” said Curran. “This has been very helpful and has opened my eyes to many future possibilities.”
Some students have even said that the engineering pathway has provided helpful career-preparation activities that aren’t offered in other classes.
“We’re working on building a resume and portfolio. Right now, we’re learning how to make a cover letter, which is really helpful for applying for jobs in the future,” said Mary Lawton Jones (‘27).
However, not all students have viewed the pathway the same way, offering criticism about the lack of useful instruction.
“I think there needs to be a lot more specialized teaching on aspects such as on-shape lessons and catalogs. Right now, the class has had a lot of self-teaching, which is hard when it’s about concepts you have never heard of,” said Annabelle Ritchey (‘27).
On the other hand, students such as Medha Koduri (‘29) have enjoyed both the independent and group-work aspects of the class, developing skills that could serve them beyond the classroom.
“Some parts of the curriculum have been helpful because I’ve been able to learn how to work with group members and conduct a presentation,” said Koduri. “However, some of the other specific concepts we’re learning haven’t been helpful to me because I don’t think I want to go into engineering.”
As students progress through the pathway, they prepare for the End of Pathway Assessment (EOPA), typically taken at the end of their third year. Akshara Gupta (‘29) explained her level of preparedness.
“I feel mostly unprepared, unless we start to take better notes about the engineering design process and the scientific method,” said Gupta. “Although, even if I had the notes, it would still be a lot of [self-instruction].”
For students like Cecilia Curran (‘28), the engineering pathway at Chamblee has given her further reassurance that engineering is the career she wants to pursue after graduation.
“[I have a] love for problem solving and building,” said Curran. “It showed me what I want to do in the future.”
