My Pathway Experience – Shbana Alikhan

My name is Shbana Alikhan and I am a senior at the School of Engineering and Sciences. I have been attending SES since seventh grade so this will be my sixth and final year. SES is a Linked Learning pathway that is centered on Engineering. All students are mandated to take engineering every single year. When I first came to SES, the seventh and eighth grade classes focused mainly on the programming aspect of engineering. We learned how to program in C++ which has generic programming features. By the end of middle school, we were able to create a program that controlled mobile robots.

In ninth grade, the focus shifted from programming to the design process. We learned how to create prototypes and tested a variety of different items. One of the most memorable projects in ninth grade was when we created a water wheel using different materials and we tested it to see which water wheels were the most efficient. In tenth grade, we focused primarily on Creo Parametric which was programming software that focuses on creating three dimensional objects. We were also able to 3D print these objects using the 3D printers at our school. In eleventh grade, in addition to using Creo, we reverted back to programming but used a different software called Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (Labview). LabView is a system-designed platform in which you create programs using graphical notations.

Being in an engineering pathway has helped me realize that I want to become a doctor. Having engineering for five years has helped me figure out that I love working with other people and being part of a team that makes a difference in people’s lives. Engineering has taught me how to critically think and problem solve which will be beyond helpful in my future career. In conclusion, engineering has provided me with a variety of skills that I will be able to use when I go into the medical field and become a doctor.