In the summer of 2015, Dunwoody beefed up its Robotics & Manufacturing department with the addition of three new 3D printers provided by Stratasys, a global leader in the developing field of additive manufacturing. That same summer, an educator and budding entrepreneur named Jazmine \u201cJaz\u201d Darden visited Dunwoody on a whim and asked for a campus tour. Darden had driven past Dunwoody daily on her way to and from her job with Minneapolis Public Schools, where she led Girls in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (GEMS) and Guys in Science and Engineering (GISE) programming, and she was curious to find out what went on behind the College\u2019s brick walls. During her tour, she found plenty to intrigue her, but the things that really piqued her interest were the 3D printers. It dawned on her that, with 3D printing, she might be able to turn some of the ideas that were always bouncing around in her head into actual gadgets and products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was like, this is super cool,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI thought, where do I sign up?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the day Darden enrolled at Dunwoody, she was among the most unconventional students to ever attend the college. She had grown up in nearby Brooklyn Park, and was, like many Dunwoody students, a hands-on tinkerer who excelled in science and math. But other elements of her biography were less typical. For one thing, she already held a four-year bachelor\u2019s degree in physics and mathematics from Augsburg College. For another, she had two years under her belt as a full-time employee with Minneapolis Public Schools. And then there was the fact that she was a Black woman\u2014or, as she put it, \u201cthe only girl and only student of color in my classes.\u201d Her non-traditional background was on full display her first day of class. \u201cI had my hair down,\u201d she recalled. \u201cNice shirt, shorts, pair of Sperrys. I walked into machine shop class and my teacher was like, don\u2019t ever show up like that again. .\u202f.\u202f. So that night I went home, got some work boots, jeans, and black T-shirts, and that\u2019s what I wore to school every day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the next two years, Darden learned everything she could about 3D design and printing. After graduating in 2017 with a degree in Engineering Drafting & Design, she continued to nurture her fascination. She learned how to build her own 3D printers and assembled a small army of them, which she eventually put to work creating new products, including EarHero, an adjustable band for face masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, she learned that Dunwoody was introducing a new program of night classes focused exclusively on 3D printing. When she expressed interest in enrolling, her former instructors urged her instead to come back as an adjunct faculty member. She agreed. In the years that followed, she taught dozens of students who shared her fascination with 3D printing. \u201cI almost feel like I\u2019m a team lead,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m learning along with them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Darden continued to cultivate her entrepreneurial instincts even as she taught at Dunwoody. Among other things, she established Sparkz3D, an organization focused on delivering hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programming to Minneapolis public school kids. In the spring of 2023, Sparkz3D held its first camp\u2014in 3D printing\u2014at Dunwoody. With her in-depth knowledge of 3D design and printing, Darden was carving out a niche for herself as a maker of things who enjoyed passing along what she knew. \u201cI love inspiring other people and teaching them about this technology that\u2019s right at our fingertips,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s really cool that I can do it, but it\u2019s also really cool when I can teach them how to do it for themselves.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n