A Passion Project, to be continued…
So why Sequoia? Sequoia trees are some of the oldest and tallest living organisms on Earth and they symbolize resilience, strength, and renewal. The fact that these trees can live for thousands of years is awe-inspiring, considering how much human history has unfolded during their lifetimes. They stand as a constant, witnessing the rise and fall of civilizations, yet enduring through it all.
What’s particularly remarkable about Sequoias is their relationship with fire. Though destructive, fire is an essential part of their life cycle — searing away competition and releasing seeds from their cones, allowing new growth to take root. This powerful metaphor of fire, symbolizing both destruction and regeneration, speaks to the transformative process in life.
For me, the symbolism of Sequoias deeply resonates. Growing up, I faced significant challenges that felt overwhelming, much like fire. Yet, those difficult experiences became catalysts for my growth and transformation. The struggle became a source of strength, much like the Sequoias that stand taller and more resilient after a blaze. Through my journey, I’ve come to embrace adversity, recognizing it as a necessary force that helped shape who I am today.
Therefore, these trees embody resilience in the face of destruction, and I wanted to capture that essence in an organization dedicated to serving individuals who resonate with the Sequoia’s narrative. By drawing from the Sequoia’s story, the organization will be a place of renewal, where individuals can transform their struggles into strength and find empowerment through their own journey of resilience. The initial focus was on youth and my passion for outdoor experiences. My notebook (below) was the beginning of its inception.
Below is a short collection of my brainstorming on the subject of identifying the problem(s) and designing a process to model and execute.
My vision at the time was to create a space of feeling safe and becoming healed and empowered through mentorship and other connections and resources. I suppose I went this direction because I needed it at the time of me starting this project.
As the years progressed, the vision shifted to be aligned with my engineering passion, especially as I started teaching Engineering at Cristo Rey Richmond High School in 2022. The direction came to be centered on the following principles:
Proposed Mission Statement
“To be the place where all people – regardless of place, wealth status, gender, race or ethnicity – can co-create. To eliminate barriers to entry for engineering so that our communities have the ability to participate in engineering work, for the betterment of our world. We will do so by connecting the right people, creating accessible resources and a model for this type of creative work to take place. We will see it through that communities improve through the creativity of their youth.”
Proposed Vision
“To co-create within the beautiful and world-changing enterprise that is Engineering and Pure Design, with young engineers and creatives.”
Sort of sounds like my personal mission and the mission of my current company.
I shifted my classroom at the start of Semester 2 (January 2023) to model engineering industry and processes. I wanted to empower my students to lead as well as highlight students’ talents by orchestrating roles for them. In conjunction with my own personal mission/vision, I developed a quick plan over our Christmas break for how I wanted my class to operate for the rest of the year. I decided to label the experiment “Sequoia Engineering Initiative” in honor of the previous iteration and my appreciation for the tree. Below are some of my initial brainstorming notes for this project.
Through implementing this model in my classroom, I gained valuable insights into human motivation, talent, and leadership.
Sequoia Engineering Initiative CAPSTONE DESIGN PROJECTS:
I discovered that successfully making it work requires massive attention on a variety of elements to facilitate a collaborative environment. This project is not yet completed and I have feelings that Sequoia […] will manifest itself in another form in the future.