Hastings High School senior Lilyah is an expert in the powerful computer-aided design (CAD) program SOLIDWORKS.
That's not an opinion, either. She has the proof in black and white.
SOLIDWORKS is an industry-leading digital tool utilized by engineers of all sectors. The software allows the user to create 3D models of any product, test that model, and then input the plans into a CNC machine to build it.
As Director of Career & Technical Education for Hastings High School, Mr. Domke put it: “In the real world, entire manufacturing plants are drawn up in this program.”
It’s a tool that Mr. Domke and his students at various levels of the engineering program at the high school utilize, and students can take tests to achieve different levels of certification on it.
It starts with becoming a SOLIDWORKS CAD Design Associate (CSWA) and moves on to SOLIDWORKS CAD Design Professional (CSWP) status. There are also a variety of CSWP advanced topic exams; a person must pass at least four of them before finally taking the test to become a SOLIDWORKS CAD Design Expert (CSWE).
Lilyah, a senior at Hastings, has navigated those tests, achieving perfect scores on some of them, before taking the CSWE exam at the end of last semester -- a test that many professional engineers have not passed.
Lilyah passed the test, achieving the CSWE status, which is a major feather in her cap.
Mr. Domke raved about the accomplishment, calling it “unheard of” for someone her age and expecting that he may not see another student at Hastings duplicate the feat.
“I was thinking she would pass based on the past tests – she had some perfect scores on some other exams, which is also unheard of,” Mr. Domke said. “…Lilyah is a very dedicated person. I would have her working for me someplace in a heartbeat.”
Lilyah said she was determined to take the CSWE exam in the first semester so, if she didn't pass, she would be able to re-take it after 90 days. She said she felt prepared and a little nervous.
“I was happy I was able to get it done; it was definitely a relief to do it at the end of the first semester and now I can focus on robotics this semester and not have that test looming in the future," Lilyah said.
Lilyah admitted she still has plenty to learn about SOLIDWORKS but that her current mastery of this all-in-one CAD program will serve her well in the future. She plans to use it extensively for robotics this semester.
Next year, she plans to study mechanical engineering at BYU, a school her parents attended.
“I mostly want to go there for the unique educational environment it offers being a religiously affiliated school," she said. "Not only is it a good academic school but it has that atmosphere that I’m looking for.”
While Lilyah is a certified expert in SOLIDWORKS and has been a bright student since stepping foot on the high school campus, she admitted that getting to where she is in engineering came with a little bit of a learning curve – albeit a very brief one.
“Those first couple of weeks were intimidating. I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing,” Lilyah said of her freshman year in engineering and design class. "I was just like 'Um, what is any of this?’ After a couple of weeks, I started to figure it out and just went from there.”