Kaitlyn Geise founded Makers in Motion as a high school student while pursuing her Girl Scout Gold Award. Her interest in mechanical and technical education comes not only from her advocacy work, but from her own path as a student. Currently on track for early high school graduation while pursuing a dual major in Aviation Maintenance Technology, Kaitlyn has experienced firsthand how valuable hands-on technical education can be.
Her interest in the issue began at her own school. Although her school offered Career Technical Education (CTE), there were limited opportunities for students interested in hands-on trades, engineering, and mechanical subjects. Through her involvement in SkillsUSA, Kaitlyn began meeting students from schools across her state and around the country. She discovered that access to technical education varied significantly between communities: some students had extensive opportunities to explore the trades and engineering, while others had few or none.
That realization became the foundation for her Gold Award project. Rather than simply seeking to create a program for students at her own school, Kaitlyn wanted to address the larger problem of unequal access to mechanical literacy.
As she researched the issue further, she found evidence that mechanical education gaps extend beyond individual schools. Historical ASVAB testing data shows significant differences between demographic groups in mechanical subjects such as Mechanical Comprehension, Auto Information, Electronics Information, and Assembling Objects. To Kaitlyn, these differences raised a larger question: How many students are being asked to make decisions about their futures without ever having the opportunity to discover these skills?
Makers in Motion was created to begin answering that question.
What started as a Girl Scout Gold Award project has grown into a youth-led nonprofit bringing free mechanical and technical workshops to K–12 students through schools and community organizations. High school volunteers help introduce students to hands-on skills while Makers in Motion works to connect young people with organizations, educational programs, and career opportunities beyond the classroom.
Kaitlyn's own educational path continues to shape the organization's mission. As a student pursuing aviation maintenance technology while completing high school early, she represents the kind of pathway Makers in Motion wants more young people to know exists: a future built not around a single definition of success, but around discovering what you can do and having access to the education needed to pursue it.
Her vision is simple: mechanical literacy should be an opportunity every student can discover.