Aidan Lamptey knows the kind of things he wants to build someday.
“Like Iron Man-type, stuff,” he said with a laugh.
More specifically, the Grand Rapids Community College student is interested in mechanical engineering, robotics, and creating things that move — maybe a mechanical arm or another device that combines mechanical and electrical systems.
“I just want to be able to make things that do stuff,” Aidan said. “Things that make lives easier.”
At GRCC, he’s already getting started.
Aidan, a Forest Hills Central High School graduate, is studying pre-engineering and plans to transfer to the University of Michigan to pursue mechanical engineering. He is also considering further study in robotics or electrical engineering.
He chose GRCC in part because it allowed him to save money before transferring. Having his mom, a psychology professor at GRCC, nearby also played a significant role.
Oct. 12, 2026
“I have a great relationship with my mom, and being able to walk to her class whenever felt considerably better than having to call, Zoom, or drive hours to visit,” he said.
But once he got here, Aidan found value in more than affordability and familiarity.
Making calculus something you can touch
This semester, Aidan is combining several of his interests — engineering, 3D modeling and creating things with a practical purpose — through the GRCC Honors Program.
Working with calculus Professor Javier Ronquillo Rivera, Aidan is researching and designing 3D-printed models of calculus concepts that they hope can help students who are blind or have low vision better understand three-dimensional graphs.
“We knew we wanted to 3D print something,” Aidan said. “We wanted something physical, but we also wanted to make it a bit more useful rather than just a diagram.”
The project explores how features such as color and texture could distinguish different objects in a graph. Aidan plans to use colorblind-friendly colors while giving each object a different texture so the models can also be interpreted through touch.
The pair would eventually like to connect with blind or low-vision GRCC students who have taken math courses to get their feedback and use it to improve the models.
Aidan is currently working on the research portion of the project before moving into 3D design. He expects to use software such as Blender or SolidWorks to create the models.
It’s an experience that also connects directly to what he hopes to do professionally.
“A lot of 3D modeling is either testing to solve issues or designing the product itself,” he said.
Eventually, he plans to present the project at the GRCC Student Showcase, giving him experience not only developing an idea, but explaining and presenting his work to others.
Finding an engineering community
Aidan has also found another way to explore engineering outside the classroom as one of the early members of AEGIS, the Applied Engineering and Guided Innovation Society.
The new student organization, advised by Professor Brandon Berg, is helping GRCC students explore different engineering fields and learn more about what careers in the industry actually look like.
Members are working to arrange visits to civil, mechanical, and aerospace engineering workplaces where they can see equipment and processes firsthand and learn more about engineers’ day-to-day work. The group is also exploring opportunities to use GRCC’s 3D printers for a collaborative project.
For Aidan, who plans to pursue an internship, AEGIS is another way to begin connecting what he is learning at GRCC with the profession he hopes to enter.
I’ve been trying to utilize the engineering club and all the information we get from it for internships,” he said.
Connections inside and outside the classroom
Engineering is only part of Aidan’s GRCC experience.
He works at Culver’s, regularly volunteers with Kids’ Food Basket and competes in chess tournaments through the Grand Rapids Chess Center.
He started playing chess online in 2021 but only recently began competing in person. The tournaments have introduced him to people of different ages and backgrounds, much like his experience at GRCC.
The diversity was something he didn’t necessarily expect when he chose a community college. In one chemistry lab, for example, his partner was a mother of two.
“I thought I’d get the community experience and see a bunch of different people at U of M or other colleges,” he said. “But I’ve gotten to see a variety of people here.”
The smaller classroom environment has been equally important.
Aidan credits his professors with taking the time to know their students and provide individual help. He has also used resources including the GRCC library and science tutoring services when he needed additional support or wanted to make sure he was on the right track.
Those experiences have helped make GRCC more than simply the place where he began his college education before transferring.
“When I transfer out, I believe the one thing I’ll take with me is how kind everybody is here,” he said. “Having smaller classrooms really helped me transition from high school to college, with professors knowing your name and being able to talk to basically anyone in class.”
And, he’ll leave with something else, too: experience taking ideas that once existed only in his imagination and beginning to figure out how to build them.
Which sounds like a pretty good start for someone who wants to make “Iron Man-type stuff.”