Tech firm opens its doors to District 214 students and staff
High School District 214 students watched in awe as they were exposed to the tech gear behind the Star Wars virtual reality experience designed by the Arlington Heights-based firm Optimal Design, which opened its doors for students and educators.
In attendance are administrators and staff from various District 214 Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs such as the WildStang Robotics Team, Project Lead The Way and Next Generation Engineering. Students and educators from the District's Newcomer Center also visited the company. The school provides language and academic support prior to students transitioning to one of the larger, comprehensive high schools in the area.
At the visit, the Optimal Design team, including Co-Founders Sajid Patel, Dan Williams and Joe Wascow addressed the guests from District 214. Experts in software, electrical, mechanical engineering and industrial design explained their craft to the group. After hearing from different members of the Optimal design team, Kobe, a District 214 student, said, "I feel like I can really become an engineer now!"
Optimal Design CEO and Co-founder Sajid Patel stressed the importance of leading by example and welcoming students into an ever-expanding world of innovation and discovery.
"Optimal Design would like to expose our youth to professional applications of engineering," Patel said. "Students can only be what they can see, so we want to do our part in showing them a STEM pathway that they can then choose to explore. By getting a tour of our facility, and meeting with our talented staff, right there we have exposed our youth to tech role models."
Along with touring the facility, the students learned more about Optimal Design's approach to design, which anchors and informs their work, including virtual reality systems, Internet of Things wearables and innovative tech product development.
"As educators, it's important to give all students the opportunity to see what their future might look like after high school," Mario Perez, coordinator of The Newcomer Center. "This year, several of our Newcomers have identified career interests in engineering, technology, and science. A visit to Optimal Design can help plant a seed helping our students imagine a career they might otherwise never considered."
This visit represents an exploratory tour to discuss possible future educational partnerships with school districts such as District 214.
"As a leader in technology-focused innovation, we're fortunate to be in the position to inspire students to pursue STEM based careers by showing them just how much fun it is and what it's really like outside of the classroom," Patel said. "We enjoy sharing how we collaborate within our teams and use advanced technology to bring amazing experiences to people's lives. Our hope is that we can do our small part in providing motivation for them to explore careers in science and technology."