JoDan Marshall
Alexander Worley
STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
FROM KIAMACHI TECH - EUFAULA HIGH SCHOOL
M
eet Alexander Worley and JoDan Marshall of EAST at Kiamichi Tech - Eufaula High School. Two young men described as leaders and regular project developers for their EAST program, by EAST Facilitator Allison Aday. Both Alex and JoDan recently presented on behalf of their program to the EAST Board of Directors and discussed their success with projects before and during the pandemic. It was their discussion of personal growth and great presentation skills that led us to sit down with them and dive a little deeper into what EAST means to them. As seniors these two young men are graduating from Kiamichi Tech - Eufaula High School, after having completed two astounding projects and are nearly self-taught experts in difficult software for architecture and coding.
Q: Tell us who you are, where you’re from and how you found EAST? Alexander: I am Alexander Worley, and this is my fourth year in EAST. JoDan: I am JoDan Marshall, and this is my third year in EAST. Alexander: At my high school, EAST is a class for sophomores, juniors, and seniors because it has a prerequisite class of Computers I. During the summer before my freshman year of high school, I took Computers I online to complete this prerequisite early. While browsing my school’s course catalog, I happened to meet Mrs. Aday, my EAST Facilitator. Our conversation eventually led to me joining my school’s EAST Program as the only freshman in my 10
EAST QUARTERLY | EASTinitiative.org
school’s history. Looking back, that was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Throughout my life, I have always had passions for community service and technology. Through EAST, I have been able to combine these two passions and positively impact my local community! JoDan: After being involved with the Volleyball/Cove project, I quickly realized that I could be of service to my community through EAST. I have taken the opportunity to attend an EAST training on Revit at the University of Arkansas and have used my skills in architecture on several EAST projects. I have designed a new press box for our football stadium, a local event center, a historic building’s renovation, and our high school office.
Q: First memory of EAST? Alexander: I spent my first year in EAST learning about Blender and eventually gave a presentation to my school board. I had never given such a major presentation before, but this experience made me more comfortable with future presentations. JoDan: When I was a freshman, I was asked to help with the Volleyball/Cove project, a project to help improve the volleyball courts by adding sand, replacing the nets and picking up trash. I saw how an upperclassmen designed the volleyball court in 123 Design. This sparked my interest in CAD software and I started watching YouTube videos to learn Revit. I began with simple designs, but quickly started getting requests for more complicated projects. I watched as many YouTube tutorials as I could. The more I watched the more interested I became.
