On May 7, Spirito Hall at Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) became the platform for Dynasty Eight of DTech Academy Capstone (DTech) to present their final senior projects. The graduating seniors were tasked with creating a speaker using the design principles of a name brand from scratch.
From 4:30 to 6 p.m., students, parents and guests were invited to see the seniors’ projects at the various tables set up throughout the hall. Each project consisted of an early prototype and final version of their speaker, stickers, merch and a process book detailing their journey with their prototype. The small groups representing their product gave short elevator pitches and explained their process, vision and what they had learned from their experiences.
“This semester two project teaches you many things and it can be applicable to almost any industry you’re going to … I think this event matters a lot because it prepares you for these kinds of things in the real world,” DTech Lead Intern Noah Randolph said.
Projects showcased ranged from a golf caddy design based on the Titleist brand, a Sun Bum-based banana speaker, a guitar-oriented Yamaha speaker and a speaker integrating Smiski designs’ styles and characters. These designs attempted to capture both the essences and design styles of these brands within the students’ creative vision.
“I think at the beginning when we brought these designs to Mr. Li, he was like, ‘ You have to do this, this will be a fan favorite, but you have to do this well’ … I’m really happy it turned out the way we wanted,” Lilac Reyes ‘26, a DTech student who worked on the SunBum-inspired speaker, said.
This exhibit has become a yearly staple and cornerstone of a DTech student’s senior year because of its thoroughness and difficulty. Extensive mockups and preplanning, market research of their brand, and getting professional insight through interviews are only some of the tasks students had to do behind the scenes.
“I think I’ve never heard of a high school having a project so advanced and so demanding as this DTech final senior project,” Brian Gerk, parent in attendance, said.
This project allowed students to have an extensive and final use of their field in DTech to contribute toward the creation of a professional-level product, making the prototype and exhibit an annual rite of passage. DTech students, with their skills honed from the experience, look forward to the DTech banquet ahead of them, where they will celebrate their accomplishments and endeavors within the academy.
