Gift of
TECHN
Helps Engineer
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hanks to Michael and Solange Whitehead, Scottsdale residents and grateful parents of two former SCC students, the school’s suite of innovative technology now includes a state-of-the-art 3-D printer system complete with a 3-D scanner.
presentation. However, she was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. When Lynelle tried to arrange another time to see the printer, she learned that SCC didn’t own the device. It was on loan for the presentation. Furthermore, a 3-D printer just wasn’t in the school’s budget.
The gift of technology was a fitting way for the two electrical engineers to blend their interest in new technology with their gratitude for the school that had such a positive impact on their kids, particularly their oldest child, Lynelle.
Then, the Whiteheads stepped in.
After a difficult year at a four-year university, Lynelle returned home feeling deflated and uncertain about her ability to get an engineering degree. She enrolled in English and engineering classes at SCC, something Solange says turned everything around. The school’s small class sizes, engaged professors and excellent tutoring center were keys to Lynelle’s success. Having regained her energy and enthusiasm, Lynelle told her mom, “Studying at SCC makes me happy again.”
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“Dr. Rawlings and the other professors gave Lynelle a second chance to succeed and, ultimately, learn to love the field of engineering,” Solange said. Intrigued by the technology, the Whiteheads decided that purchasing a 3-D printer for the school was a meaningful way to pay it forward with Solange saying, “This was our chance to give back to the school and also to future SCC students.” “My background is engineering,” Solange said. “Though I’m now a realtor, I stay up on the latest cool new technologies and 3-D printing is game-changing technology. Anyone can design and build a product with a bit of motivation and almost no capital investment. Technologies that empower everyday people are just exciting and I really like the idea of SCC students having access to the machine.”
“Lynelle’s physics professor [Dr. Kyle Rawlings] had a great impact on her,” Solange said. “He was very accessible, The Whiteheads worked with SCC’s provided students with plenty of guidance. Solange Whitehead learns how the 3-D development director, Charles Silver, on He really boosted Lynelle’s confidence, printer is being used in the classroom. the logistics of not only purchasing the which helped her to overcome her pre-test printer, but also ensuring the new technology aligned jitters. He also organized a field trip to the Quantum with the college’s curriculum. SCC’s IT Department and Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies (QESST) Engineering faculty worked together on installation and Engineering Research Center at Arizona State University.” gaining the necessary training to get the most out of the printer when it comes to classroom instruction. The field trip was later followed by an introduction between Lynelle and lab researchers at QESST that “They had to learn how to use the printer and then how resulted in a full-time summer internship. to teach other people to use it,” Solange said. Through a math professor at SCC, Lynelle had the The Whiteheads no longer have children attending opportunity to learn about 3-D printing at an upcoming SCC. Lynelle moved on to study engineering at Arizona