OXNARD : Boy Wins Computer Drafting Award

Adrian Laveaga only learned last year how to do drafting on a computer.

And he has had no computer at home to use for practice.

But the 17-year-old Channel Islands High School senior nevertheless captured first prize for technical computer-aided drafting in a recent state competition sponsored by the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America.

Another Channel Islands High student, junior Devin Buck, won fifth place in the competition for traditional board drafting.

And a team of seven Oxnard High School students was honored for its performance in the contest’s ceremonies.

Adrian, who plans to attend Oxnard College next year, said he had already mastered drafting by hand, or board drafting, when he began to learn to use the computer at school.

At first, he said, computer-aided drafting seemed more difficult. Then as he continued to spend hours each week practicing, he realized the advantages of doing the job by computer.

“It’s easier to use,” Adrian said. “Corrections can be made. You can do so much more with the computer than you can with a triangle and pencil.”

At the state competition, which was held in Anaheim in late April, Adrian and the 18 other state finalists in his division had to perform under deadline. Given a picture of a machine part and two pages of written instructions, each student had three hours to make computer drawings of the piece of machinery, complete with size descriptions.

The Oxnard High School team won third place for its recital of the meaning of the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America emblem in the contest ceremonies and second place for its recital of the organization’s creed.

The Oxnard High team members are Kevin Escalante, Rene Enriquez, Jared Gregg, Christine Kirk, Jose Martinez, Louie Mancha and Lauren Runyan.