Casen working with the Prusa XL 3D printer

The Learning Interventions for Teens (LIFT) program is a mentorship-based program held at Williams every winter study. This program pairs Williams College students with teenagers involved with the Berkshire County juvenile justice system. It offers teenagers an opportunity for personal growth, skill-building, and creative exploration. Over the course of three weeks, students engage in hands-on projects centered around art, photography, 3D printing, and other disciplines.

During our 2025 winter study, the Makerspace partnered with one of the mentor-mentee pairs, Sarah Sousa ’28 and Casen, respectively. Casen was interested in 3D printing and was eager to learn more about how he could use it for his project. Casen was interested in printing two cars that he envisioned using a black filament. David Keiser-Clark, the Makerspace Program Manager, and I gave Sarah and Casen a tour of the Makerspace and shared an overview of all the resources and tools that were available to them. I then worked with Casen and showed him the entire procedure involved in 3D printing, starting from slicing the 3D models to loading the filament and eventually initiating the print. After our demonstration, Casen was ready to implement the entire 3D printing process by himself.

One of Casen’s 3D printed model cars

Altogether, the printing process for both cars took two days to complete. Once the prints were finished, the task of removing the supports—structures that help to stabilize the print during the process—was still a challenge. Removing the supports is usually straightforward, but it was a tricky process for these cars, yet Casen carefully removed them without damaging the prints. He was very patient with it and developed his own innovative techniques to remove them. 

During this time, Casen and Sarah also worked together on their final presentation—which I had the chance to attend on the last day of Winter Study. It was exciting to see all of the interesting projects that students in the program had been working on. The projects covered a range of topics, including nail art, attorney mentorship, and music. It was also lovely to see mentors and mentees receive their certificates of completion. I felt genuinely inspired to see how Williams’ resources helped Casen and other students explore and build upon their interests.