This month's featured staff member is Olivia Ward. Olivia is a recent graduate of Alexandria-Monroe Jr. / Sr. High School and has been a Lab Tech in the Design Lab since November 2022. You may have seen her helping participants at some of our classes and workshops. Olivia is patient, detail-oriented, and dedicated to learning new skills. We appreciate her hard work in the lab and wish her well as she heads off to Trine University in just a few weeks!
What was your first experience being involved at Madjax?
I was a student apprentice under my teacher through the Educator Maker in Residence program in the summer of 2022. My teacher and I put together three different workshops. First, we put on a week-long summer workshop that taught kids about different tech careers by designing and pitching a brand new toy. We did two other workshops that let people come in and create their own stickers and holiday ornaments.
What has been your favorite part of being a lab tech?
I enjoyed meeting people at workshops and helping them learn new skills. By meeting people I learned more about the community and developed a better understanding of my skills.
What advice would you give to new lab members to help them be successful in the Design Lab?
Don’t be shy, ask questions, and get involved. The lab is a safe space to learn and make mistakes. To get involved, I would recommend going to the training sessions and just stopping by to hang out. It's really fun to try something new and have someone there to laugh with if it’s a success or even an epic failure.
How do you think your experiences here will benefit you as you go off to college and pursue your career?
My experiences here will help me be a more rounded young adult. I am going to Trine University to study Computer Engineering and my work in the lab is helping me prepare for it. In the lab, we have to think outside the box and make creative solutions for problems that may arise. This thought process will help me think creatively for my future engineering projects and creative endeavors.