I went to a boarding school, which means we study and live in the school campus. We only go back home when the school term is over. After school hours, we had different organized school programs, depending on the day of the week, to keep us occupied.On Wednesdays we had clubs and societies. I was more of a drifter, so I would end up visiting about 10 different clubs in a day. Until I discovered the JETS club.
JETS stands for Junior Engineers, Technicians, and Scientists club. And more specifically I was interested in JETS Construction. We had JETS science where it’s mostly theory and quizzes while JETS construction was where the practical things happen. The club’s venue was the school’s electronic workshop. And the instructor was not a teacher actually, but the school’s technician in charge of the school alarm system.
What attracted me was how tangible everything was, it was literally science in real life. You can see how everything builds up together to serve a utility or application. And what really drew me in was how the instructor taught. He explained things with such enthusiasm and energy. You can see that he’s also enjoying the creation process with all of us -together. So, from that day I became a regular visitor.
He taught me the functions of all the different components that made up an electric circuit. I.e. the different transistors (NPNs & PNPs), the different types of resisters, and how to decipher their different colors. He taught me the applications of capacitors. I learned how to utilize coils tailored to different use to optimize for current or voltage. We learned the function of relays, diodes (e.g. in making chargers), LED & fuses for safety measures. I leaned the different types of transformers ( i.e the step up and step down transformers). And how to build your own circuitboard from scratch using a coil of lead and a soldering iron.
From this we made a lot of cool projects. From simple oscillators where you have LEDs blinking and oscillating (i.e. anologous model of how traffic light works). To radio transmitters where you build your own radio station). We built home inverters, phone chargers, & light switches. To building a car security system, a self-functioning (automatic) gate, a hot water system, to making a loud speaker.
We also designed a light system that comes on when the sunsets and goes off at dawn. And I’ll never forget the project on building a prototype of our solar system. This showcased how the earth rotates on its own axis and revolves around the sun. Thus, breaking down how: eclipses happen, why we have night and day, why we have different time zones and seasons based on location. Not to forget building a man-size rocket from standing fans as propellers, an aluminum base, and other light & aerodynamic materials.
This man taught me how to tinker and solve real problems. Thanks to this man, I discovered my love for working with actual practical & tangible physical objects. From this man I learned that sometimes things just don’t go according to plan but there is always a solution you haven’t thought of yet if you just keep tinkering. This man gave me a place to belong besides just going through the mundane routine of a student’s life. This man made me see the beauty of science in its most artistic tones.
In conclusion
He impacted the way I learned. The way we learned. He showed us that even though we were students, learning doesn’t have to be studious and hard. But it can rather be fun and exciting. He showed us that we don’t have to graduate first before we can finally apply what we have being learning. We can do it right now and see the fruits of our labor.
A lot of the time he would buy us components bo build with out of his own pocket because the budget the school gives is usually not enough. He stays back after school hours (long after his paid time) so that we can continue working on our projects. The level of selflessness this man has is unreal.
Looking back in retrospect, I can say he was one of the major influences that drew me into engineering; solving practical world problems.
He made a standard of what I expect a mentor to be. And he stands as a mental image of what an inspiring human being looks like. Because that’s what a mentor is; a person who inspires you to aspire to become more than you are.
Verily that man had touched my soul and ignited a flame of possibility in me, and I just hope that one day I’ll be able to do the same to someone too.
Thank you for reading