Norseman editor Will Zwerneman sat down with Bryan High senior Max Kalil to talk about leadership, engineering, and creativity through her work at C-TECH, SkillsUSA, and STEM programs ⚙️🔧🎤

Max shares how she became involved in automation and robotics, UIL academics, TSA, and the swim team, while also helping lead a major SkillsUSA Chapter Display project. The team spent more than 160 hours building an 86-inch display featuring a Roman arena design to represent the theme “Champion Your Future.” Max explains how she developed the original concept, managed the creative direction, and coordinated teammates from both Bryan and College Station while balancing communication and deadlines.

Beyond competitions, Max also discusses her passion for building custom speakers, a hobby she developed alongside her dad by experimenting with audio equipment and learning from engineers. From CNC cutting wood panels to soldering components, she describes the detailed process of designing speakers that combine technical precision with creative problem-solving.

Max also reflects on her experiences as one of the few girls in her technical program and how representation and outreach can help encourage more young women to pursue STEM fields and engineering careers. Looking ahead, she plans to study industrial engineering in college while continuing to explore hands-on projects and innovation.

🎧 Tune in to the Norseman Podcast to hear Max talk about building competition displays, designing custom speakers, and why curiosity and persistence are key to succeeding in STEM.

📰 Look for more student spotlight features in upcoming editions of The Norseman.

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