Cristo Rey Kansas City is a Catholic, college-prep school that incorporates a work-study program for students to give them the best chance at success for the future. Each student is assessed for their skills, interests, and ideal career choices, then are placed with a company that can help them gain real world experience.
Armed with CAD software, drafting paper, some pencils and a calculator, Isaac blends right in to the engineering department. If it weren’t for his Cristo Rey school uniform, you’d think he was just another young engineer developing the next big thing at PRIER. Wasting no time at all, Isaac earns his keep in R&D conducting market research and developing concepts for new products, designing an assembly workstation, and writing field test reports.
“We have given him real engineering projects to work on, he dives right in, learns quickly, and does a good job,” said Scott Brady, R&D Manager.
Understanding the basics of what it takes to be an engineer, Isaac said one of the biggest lessons he’s learned at PRIER is how to adapt and be flexible when working on a new task. He has learned that there are a million ways to get from point A to point B, with many variables in between, and enjoys the problem solving aspect of engineering.
When he’s not doing school work or contributing to PRIER engineering, Isaac is in the lab at MINDDRIVE, an educational non-profit focused on STEM-based projects for high school students. Every Saturday, Wednesday, and just about any extra moment in between is spent building an electric car with his teammates.
He plans on drawing from his real-world experience as he continues with his education and more internships, with the goal of becoming a robotics engineer someday. We are excited to see what Isaac does with the rest of his time at PRIER, and will be cheering him on from the sidelines as he takes on his biggest challenge yet – college!
To learn more about Cristo Rey Kansas City, go to http://www.cristoreykc.org.
