Student Blog

December 7, 2021

I think we can all agree that quarantine and distance learning was not ideal for most of us and totally ruined a whole year and a half of our lives. Each and every one of us were affected in our own unique way, but those new experiences helped with character growth. One of the worst parts of those 17 extremely long months was the separation from people, not seeing people (who weren’t family) was kind of hard for a lot of us and so when we were told we would get to come back it made us hopeful and excited, but also extremely anxious. This theme carried into GeoTech, even though technically we were still an academy with cohorted classes it didn’t feel like it. Staring at a screen all day did not help us feel connected to each other, instead it made us feel more distanced, we had lost that sense of family and community that comes with being part of an academy. Coming back to school in person we wanted to change that, even though we were back in class together it was still hard to make that shift and transition, we needed an extra push. The Leadership Team came up with an idea, something that could gather us together to help us come closer again, a Field Day.

This is only my second year in GeoTech, my first year was with distance learning, I never did get to experience first hand what it felt like to be a part of the academy in person. I had little bits and pieces, something to give me an idea of what an academy is like, I had already had Mrs. Rivers my freshman year, and I had known many of the kids inside the academy, which influenced me to join. This event gave me a taste of it, it showed me what the academy could be like, sure our “main purpose” might be advertised as learning green engineering but personally I think it’s all about community and connecting with a group of people for your whole high school career. Seeing everyone there, bonding and having fun with each other helped remind me why I chose to be in GeoTech.

June 7, 2021

To the current and future GeoTech Academy students,

You may have joined GeoTech because it was the only option, because your friends did, or some other reason. For whatever reason you became part of the academy, don’t let that be the only reason you did. You might hear your teachers and Dr. Ducat call GeoTech a family, while we might not look like a typical family, we are. Outstanding circumstances aside, the people in your GeoTech cohorted classes will be with you for the entirety of your high school career. In time you may grow to rely on them just as you might with your actual family, I know I did.

GeoTech was probably the best thing that's happened to me in my educational career. It has opened so many doors, introduced me to lifelong friends, and shown me some interests I didn’t know I had. The thing with GeoTech is, and I know it's cliché, the more you put in, the more you will get out. If you want to cruise that's cool, but if you put in some effort here and there you will find that it is so much more rewarding. Remember, GeoTech is similar to a school club in some ways, we have a president, vice-president, and so on. So if you have an idea or have something that you think is worthy of GeoTech’s attention don’t hesitate to put yourself out there and make a stand. It won’t go unnoticed and even if it's shot down it won’t be without consideration and/or good reason. GeoTech has always focused on it's students, every field trip, every event, every opportunity has been for the benefit of those in the academy. GeoTech is here for you. My advice, hang on because it's going to be one wild ride.

December 14, 2020

Originally I wanted to be in iTech because I was interested in filmmaking. But instead I joined GeoTech with “If I don’t like it I can change” in mind. I don’t regret my decision. GeoTech is the best tech.

It’s been an exciting four years so far. I’ve learned so many things about engineering and myself. I’ve made so many memories and friendships while being in Geotech. Freshman year is where I met people that are essentially family to me. Not just fellow students but the teachers and staff. Shout out to Ms. Rivers for being the teacher that stands out for being the best, as well as to Ms.Ducat for being the most helpful. In Geotech you will always learn something new almost every day. Especially in the projects which the majority of are hands on. My favorite project was making models on Autodesk Inventor. I liked that one a lot because I believe that project pertains to what will hopefully be my career one day, making prototypes on Inventor, then making them into reality. Another great memory I have of Geotech was in sophomore year when Ms. Rivers helped me and many others get a job at the San Diego Zoo. Being taught the proper skills for a job interview was the most helpful thing that not many people get the opportunity to have. I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it myself. Finally, no one in Geotech could forget the field trips. The best field trip was going to see the windmill farm in Palm Springs later to head up to Mount San Jacinto to have a snow day. As well as going to engineering day at Knott’s Berry Farm to go on the rides all day.

In this coming semester, I will have my Geotech class with Ms. Rivers once more and I hope the memories will continue to come. Go Geotech!

October 25, 2020

You would think I would have a simple answer, but in reality, I have no clue how to put this into a short and sweet format. GeoTech has shown me how to be a better person environmentally. I’ve learned the importance of connections and relationships. I’m given the chance to explore how the world works and how to better it. All of these things and so much more truly makes the GeoTech Academy an incredible and fulfilling path.

As you may know, GeoTech contains cohort classes that allow students to create memorable friends. We develop and learn from each other. Our teachers get to see all of our growth and it honestly inspires me to perform at my best. I look forward to connecting with more people and meeting new opportunities.

The biggest resource to be taken from GeoTech in my opinion would be the relationships you build with people, not only within the classroom, but through networking as well. An example of this would be our field trip we take to the International Brotherhood of Electrical workers. On this trip, we take a tour of their site as well as doing hands-on activities (like wiring a doorbell). They also go over what schooling and finance looks like within their trade and they offer an opportunity for students to apply. This is a great resource for students who want to get into a trade and not necessarily go through a 4 year.

There is a diverse amount of opportunities and resources that GeoTech offers that cater to the interest of all students. Taking advantage of them is a good way to kick start life after high school.

My freshman year started off with a field trip to iFly. We learned how indoor skydiving worked and afterwards we got to actually go indoor skydiving. While we were waiting we had a lot of time to get to know each other. We also did a lot of things with IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers). One time they came to San Diego High and helped us install solar panels that pumped up one of those inflatable guys you see at a car dealership. Then we got to uninstall and load them into a truck. I also was able to go to many luncheons about women in engineering and in other male dominated fields, which were always interesting because you got to ask questions about what the field was like and what they do. It was very refreshing because there are very few girls in my class and normally when we go on engineering field trips you don’t see a lot of women.