Dean Cunningham - Maker

I’ve been a TA for the STEM guitar building class this term as well as working at the Jade learning center and tutoring for the CADD program. Yesterday at work I was asked to take over the STEM guitar class. I’m pretty blow away that I would even be considered for that job. I said yes tentatively. There are some hurdles to overcome. The main one is I have no degree. I have several certifications and an ancient Associates but no Bachelors. We will see how this all pans out but I’m very honored to be picked to take this task over.

Around the end of the pandemic I was feeling pretty restless and needed a new challenge. All the k***s on my gas range broke due to very poor design. It made me very angry because the thing was only 4 years old. I was shocked at the prices for replacements. I had a 3D SLA resin printer at this point and I really wanted to make new k***s. I downloaded Shapr3D and started fooling around with it and generated a model that was pretty spot on. This was my entry point to CADD. Sadly the range gave up the ghost before I could make those k***s but it inspired me to push my skills further. Since that day I've gone to school and received a Certificate in CADD from PCC, got on the presidents list, and also tutor for the program. I am really honored that my teachers trusted me, a complete novice, to fill this role. Today I design using Fusion nearly everyday. Most of it for practical things like my new CNC router and Bambu X1C FDM printer. This program at Portland Community College has changed everything for me. I can't wait to keep making things with my new skills and tools!