Learned Creativity

Alan Sebastian '22

Alan Sebastian '22 is a junior at Cal Poly, where he is pursuing industrial engineering. While at MA, he taught himself to "learn" creativity after a discussion with his cross country coach!

You mentioned that both Cal Poly and MA emphasize learning by doing. Please share an example of two projects you pursued. What are the common threads between the experiences and their impact on your growth?

MA and Cal Poly both have "learn by doing" at the center of the classroom.

MA structures their classes where homework helps to teach the material, making students put in the time to figure it out before reviewing it during class. There are often projects where you apply what you have learned through some form of creative outlet; for example, in my astrophysics class we did a series of astrophotography projects to learn how the stars move in the night sky.

Cal Poly also tends to have a project rather than a test that applies what we have learned. In a class where I learned about manufacturing, we had a lab where we designed and manufactured parts. Another example is a Process Improvement Fundamentals class project, where we had to find a place in the community with any form of process and find ways to improve it using the strategies discussed in the class. My group ended up optimizing the ticketing admission process at the Cal Poly sports stadiums.

These experiences allow me to grow because instead of just knowing things, I can DO things. Learning by doing at MA and Cal Poly has provided me with a low-stakes environment that, after completion, allows me to be confident in my abilities, have more to talk about in interviews, and be more sure of myself once I start a new position or project.

The Class of 2022 had a unique high school experience due to the pandemic. How did your COVID experience influence your perspective on what you wanted to study or the kind of college experience you were looking for?

After two years stuck at home, restrictions finally lifted just in time for my senior year. That year was full of amazing experiences with my friends and classmates, helped me come out of my shell, and made me want to go to a school that had a strong balance between academics, social life, and natural beauty so that my everyday life was just a bit more diverse and exciting. Cal Poly SLO is great for this!

What sparked your interest in Industrial Engineering specifically? What experiences at MA (e.g., classes, clubs, projects) ignited this passion?

Interestingly enough, it wasn't any particular class or project that ignited my passion for engineering—it was a teacher. I was on a run back from cross country practice with Jon Bretan, and I was explaining how difficult it was to choose a major when applying to colleges. I wasn't passionate about any particular subject, and despite my knack for math and science, I thought I would be unsuccessful as an engineer because I thought I lacked creativity. He told me that creativity isn't something everyone is born with, but it is something that everyone can learn. With that in mind, for the last few months I had left at MA I tried my best to "learn" to be creative. I leaned into this with my senior project and while making artistic projects such as a map in my Bay Area history class.

Eventually, I became confident I could come up with creative designs and solutions to problems and make a good engineer. Talking to your teachers outside of the classroom is one of the most valuable things you can do with your time at MA, because the faculty there are all so incredibly accomplished in their careers, and their advice and perspective on life is tremendously helpful.

Industrial Engineering is unique among other engineering programs at Cal Poly in that you can take classes in every other engineering discipline, from electrical to civil. MA taught me the value of an interdisciplinary curriculum, as Intellectual Flexibiity—being knowledgeable about multiple subjects—is one of its competencies. The way MA's curriculum connects all classes and subjects to paint one coherent picture led me to value a similar structure for my college education. I credit my diverse skill set with a lot of the professional success I have been having, and I appreciate MA's role in providing me with that perspective.

What do you look for in an internship? What are you working on in your current internship at Tesla, and what are you learning about yourself and the industry?

Internships are opportunities to gain valuable skills and experience in your field and ways to figure out if you are interested in certain career paths. I have never been certain about what I wanted to do with my life, so I am using these internships to explore my options. I look for positions that throw me right into the thick of it. When working on real-world problems, you learn real-world skills that can be applied in any industry.

Tesla is a great company to work for as an intern if you want to be assigned meaningful projects. I am the Program Manager for software they are making, and I have been responsible for optimizing various internal processes to drive down operational expenditures, while also creating frequent executive-level reports to provide visibility to decision-makers. This has been a fantastic role because of how I have been able to leverage a combination of my creativity and technical skills from my Cal Poly engineering education to drive results.

You've been involved in research at Cal Poly in energy sustainability and human-artificial intelligence (AI) interaction. How did you get involved in this research, and what have you learned from these experiences? Do you have advice for current MA students with interests in these areas?

If you want to get involved in research, you HAVE to talk to your professors. In my first quarter at Cal Poly I was able to get involved with Water and Energy Sustainability research just by sending an email, and in my second year I got involved in humanAI interaction research by going to office hours. A lot of these professors want or need help with their passion projects, which offers an amazing avenue for undergraduate students to build their resumes, learn new skills, and contribute to meaningful innovation. You have to be brave and just start a conversation; eventually, it will lead you somewhere.

For current MA students considering Cal Poly, can you describe what student life is like in San Luis Obispo? What advice would you give to students who are deciding if it's the right fit for them?

Cal Poly has an incredibly diverse student life that anyone can fit into. Many people spend time making friends in the beautiful outdoors the Central Coast has to offer, and Cal Poly has a vibrant professional and social Greek life, clubs with frequent outings and events, and a fantastic intramural sports program for people of all skill levels. If you want to find a way to fit in, join a club you are interested in early on. Many are low commitment, and it is such an easy way to find people with similar interests. At the beginning of the year everyone is looking for friends, so it's the best time to be social!

If you could give one piece of advice to your high school self, knowing what you know now, what would it be?

Get involved with MA's different clubs and programs. Marin Academy has so many opportunities outside of the classroom, and if you focus only on classes, you will realize how empty your resume is once you're applying to internships and competitive clubs.

What are your hopes for your next years at Cal Poly? How can you and the Marin Academy community mutually support each other going forward?

I hope to create a startup, contribute to more research projects, and find another internship so I can narrow down my career path. I also hope to support any MA students who want to learn more about Cal Poly during the college admissions process and help them network if they decide to come to this amazing school.

I think MA can support me in a similar way by allowing me to leverage alumni connections to help me in my pursuit to start a sustainability-focused startup or find a fantastic internship opportunity. I look forward to continuing my relationship with MA as an alumnus and giving back to the school that helped me have such a fantastic high school experience!

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Lauren Martin shares, "After moving back to the Bay Area, I got a disabling back injury in a procedure. I've spent several years negotiating a spinal fluid leak and used the time to compile several books. The first, Night of the Hawk, was published this May with She Writes Press. It is a book of poetry that describes a lifelong shamanic journey. I feel that the community of MA both taught me to write and saved my life. I am forever grateful for the intervention of love and investment I (we) are generously given in a place like MA."

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Thessaly Lerner writes, "I celebrated my 50th bday with Joanna Nelson '90 and her family in Baja (so awesome!), and I'm producing a new narrative podcast, (season 1 drops fall 2024): "Psychedelic Women: Conversations with the Women of the Counterculture" - everywhere pods stream. Get in touch if YOUR mom is a Psychedelic Woman and wants to tell her story...."

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Christopher Cooper shares, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. Shelley Mitchell '86, Brook Notary '90, Chris Cooper '94"

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Yasmin Kaderali writes, "I live in Sun Valley just down the street from MA; hike the hills often; have two adorable, goofy, and wild boys—6 & 8 years old; crossed 15 years as CEO of Mommy's Bliss; first book being published this summer, called Mom Your Way; still hanging with best girlfriends from our class Tamara Melnik '95, Nicole Colombo '95, Lauren Bowne '95."

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Deap Ubhi tells us, "After spending over 6 years as a technical leader at Amazon Web Services, I started my own company a few years ago. We're building custom large language models to help debug software, and we're blessed to be off to a flying start. My girls are now 9 and 13, the latter of whom is starting the high school evaluation process (yikes!). My beloved partner in life went back to school, got her Masters in Education and Public Policy, and is now a Montessori educator at the Horizon Community School in Marin City, CA. After stints in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Washington D.C., we've been happily back in Marin County for the past several years. Last year, I had the opportunity to come back to campus and talk to a handful of MA seniors about my entrepreneurial journey. It made me feel optimistic about the future, even as we navigate an uncertain societal and geo-political environment."

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Jessica Amen shares, "It was a rough start to the year, as I was hospitalized in early January for a minor heart attack. The attack was caused by spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Very little is known about what causes this kind of attack, as I have none of the risk factors, but I'm doing well and making an extremely fast recovery. Meanwhile, I embarked on and just wrapped production on my first film producing role for an indy film called Exposure, in which my husband Will Rothhaar will be starring. Will is also co-starring in a film that releases in October called The Wingwalker. Available in theaters and on Hulu and Disney Plus."

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Caroline Eliot says, "I've been living in West Oakland for 6+ years now with my partner. He and I will be celebrating 10 years this fall. We have an awesome three-year-old son. I'm currently working for Travis Credit Union as Senior Digital Product Manager. Life is good!"

Ryan Spies says, "My family and I made a big move back to the West Coast this year (Seattle!) as I took a new job leading sustainability as a Managing Director at Alaska Airlines. We also welcomed our 3rd kiddo, Rosalie Anne Spies, to the family this April!"

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J.D. Nasaw tells us, "A lot has changed in recent years! In 2022, my wife and I moved across the country to Durham, NC and we welcomed our baby boy Sasha a few months later. We love living just outside of town, growing a big vegetable garden, and hiking in the woods every day. When we moved, I also transitioned out of a decade managing fine dining restaurants, and I'm now a somatic coach, bodyworker, and conflict facilitator. Would love to see any MA folks who come this way, and we do miss all the good stuff in California."