It’s 2018. After being a retired architect for a year and filling his time being a “girl dad,” Mr. Michael Collins is in search of a new profession, eventually deciding on being an educator to young minds interested in the engineering pathway. As he steps onto the Ayala campus unassuming to what the current state of the resources would be, he looks around the dingy engineering portable, glancing at the computers and pulling out stored away wood shop tools. Although the current state of the facilities don’t promise a strong start, Collins is determined to change the program for the better.
From working alongside architecture masters fresh out of college to having the opportunity to work in South Korea for his company, Collins’ expertise goes unquestioned. Despite being offered to teach earlier in his career, including the opportunity to teach at his alma mater Cal Poly Pomona, Collins didn’t consider teaching until after his retirement.
“I don’t think I could have done it earlier because my practice and my experience and my professional network of colleagues grew exponentially every year,” Collins said. “After 24 plus years, it was just kind of time to cash in those chips and say, ‘You know what? It’s time to do the next chapter and get a lot of students inspired.’”
With this enhanced knowledge and connections though, Collins’ first year managing flourished the engineering department faster than anyone could have imagined. In just a few months, students were being spoken to by guest speakers from Collins’ colleagues in industry, presenting on massive projects, and presenting to influential audiences in the city.
“We had the superintendent and the principal there and everyone’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, this engineering program is so cool,’” Collins said. “That was the first year and then things incrementally got better. We started adding more and more classes to the point where we ended up having four classes.”
Quickly being recognized, and becoming partnered with the Baldy View Regional Occupational Program (ROP) to provide college credit for students who successfully complete the program, the engineering program has only prospered. The program currently stands with over 200 students and has now added another instructor, Mr. Michael Daugherty Saunders, to aid in teaching one of the four classes alongside Mr. Collins. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM awareness) has increased significantly with 60-75% of females and 75% of males seniors in the program majoring in a STEM related field going into college.
Although not everyone who takes the program decides to enter a STEM related field, the goal of the program has continued to inform students of the options they have.
“[The program] shows you an exploration, in which you can later decide whether or not it’s worth it, and it’s up to you to decide what you want to do with it,” current Engineering Design and Development (EDD) student, Eva Alcantara (11) said.
Nonetheless, these eye-opening experiences couldn’t have been made without the continuously supportive learning environment that Collins continues to provide, becoming a beloved teacher by most.
“Mr. Collins is probably my favorite teacher,” current Civil Engineering and Architecture (CEA) student, Alana Hernandez (11) said. “With other teachers that I’ve had in the past, they do lectures the whole time and then you’re expected to take notes, which I find super boring, but he’s super passionate about what he does and he makes it fun for the kids.”
Back to 2024. Although he didn’t know how large the program would soon grow to be at the time, the engineering program would change immensely under Collins’ guidance. As of recently, Mr. Collins has been recognized for his excellence these past six years, becoming a Nobel Educator of the Year finalist in the National Society of High School Scholars.
“[The honor] validates that our students are really working hard because I don’t get to claim any of that,” Collins said. “The award is not personal. It’s a shared moment for all of us to realize that the program has grown and we’re just going to keep pushing and trying to make it even better.”
As the engineering department continues to expand, Collins remains to be the most influential figure behind these efforts. If there was a plaque to commemorate the impact that educators have had on this school and this community, the name “Michael Collins” would most definitely be up there.
“My experience with Mr. Collins has only been positive. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed him have a bad day,” Alcantara said. “He’s very uplifting, very supportive, always willing to listen and talk, and he’s overall one of my favorite teachers.”
