“The amount of trust you get is very much worth it, and I think that just prepares me for the job market, being respected as a kid.”
Long before he started Francis Tuttle Technology Center’s Engineering Academy, Jaden Azbill was crafting paper lightsabers after watching “Star Wars.”
What started as childhood imagination developed into a passion for engineering. That interest expanded in seventh grade after Azbill took an engineering class and experimented with 3D printing. After seeing one of his early projects, his parents bought him his own 3D printer.
“I’ve always been interested in engineering and designing stuff,” shared Azbill, who completed the Engineering Academy on the Danforth Campus last month. “I’ve made all these different things, and that got me into engineering. I got a 3D printer when I was 12 years old, and I’ve made all these cool props. When I heard about an engineering program at Francis Tuttle, I jumped to sign up.”
A big Marvel fan, most of his creations have been from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Azbill has created three versions of Iron Man’s helmet, improving upon the design each time and adding electronics to make the helmet go up and down. He has also built a detailed Green Goblin mask, which used to be the largest project he’d made until he made a sword from the manga series “Berserk.”
The sword took three weeks to print, with the majority of it split into 16 different pieces. It then took Azbill a day to solder the pieces together and then about a week to sand, prime, and spray paint it. His one regret? Not making the sword completely hollow because it’s “quite heavy.”
“It’s 6 feet 8 inches tall, so it’s as tall as one of my tallest friends,” Azbill said. “I thought it’d be really cool to make it to go on my wall and show off a little bit and be like, ‘Oh, by the way, I made that.’”
Azbill, who graduated from Edmond Public Schools, started the district’s online program as a senior to have more flexibility in his schedule, in part so he could have more time to work for his parents. He also runs his family’s window washing business, which was started by his older brother. After initially helping out, Azbill took over when his brother left for his church mission.
This summer, Azbill is starting a two-year church mission in Córdoba, Argentina. After returning, he plans to attend Brigham Young University and continue pursuing engineering.
Along with what he learned while a Francis Tuttle student, Azbill also gained real-world engineering experience through an internship with MD Building Products the past two summers.
Azbill said his time there was valuable for several reasons, including that he was able to learn how to use SolidWorks, a computer-aided design program. At Francis Tuttle, he worked with Fusion, so he appreciated the opportunity to get comfortable with using different software. He also valued the hands-on opportunities and the chance to gain internship experience before even starting college.
“The whole reason I wanted to do it was to learn and to further my skills for the job market,” he explained.
Looking back, Azbill said choosing Francis Tuttle was one of the best decisions he has made. He appreciated the quality of his courses and instructors and being in an environment where he was respected.
“The amount of trust you get is very much worth it, and I think that just prepares me for the job market, being respected as a kid,” Azbill stated. “That helps me kind of get used to being respected when I’m going into college and even getting a job.
“The teachers love teaching what they teach,” Azbill continued. “All the teachers here are great, they know what they’re talking about, and they do a very good job teaching. It’s just been a great experience.”