Pictured: Students in Design and Drawing for Production classes at the Ames Campus learned from alumni Brianna Hobert and Chris Sciortino how Massapequa’s technology education classes benefited them.
Photo courtesy of the Massapequa School District
Technology courses inspired Brianna Hobert and Chris Sciortino during their years at Massapequa High School. On Jan. 30, the graduates returned to speak to ninth graders at the Ames Campus about how these classes played a role in their future plans.
Ms. Hobert, a 2019 graduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the New York Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing a master’s degree. She has already assisted on two NASA projects, including preliminary planning for a telescope that is estimated to launch in 2024. Engineering was her focus, while Mr. Sciortino spoke about computer programming. He is a junior at Adelphi University and graduated from Massapequa High School in 2021.
The graduates talked to about 60 students in Matthew Burke’s and Matthew Ditzel’s Design and Drawing for Production classes. They shared how the technology education courses they took in high school have prepared them for the future. Ms. Hobert and Mr. Sciortino recommended to the students, who still have three years of high school remaining, that they take as many technology classes as possible.
“The sky’s the limit with these classes,” said Ms. Hobert, adding that technology education courses are very versatile and teach a broad range of skills.
Mr. Sciortino explained that even if they don’t ultimately pursue a career in technology, the classes will still leave them with abilities they can use in any field, like critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork. He also encouraged students to start building their portfolios now by saving the work from their technology classes to show what they can do.
The presentation ended with a question-and-answer session for the ninth graders, who were curious about different career paths in technology.
“My hope,” said Patricia LiVecchi, Massapequa’s supervisor of career and technical education, “is that the students now see the opportunities that our technology program
offers and that they can get a head start in exploring their career or college pathway by taking technology electives before leaving high school.”
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