Garagium’s Trajectory

From Project Hub → Engineering Incubator

Garagium Pilot 

  • Data study on project hub

  • 1 engineering student org 

  • Build early community

Retention Engine 

  • Scale to 150+ students

  • Mentoring

  • Skill-building workshops

Industry-sponsored Projects 

  • Prototype lab

  • Certifications + experience

Engineering Incubator

  • Startup support

  • Partnerships with accelerators

Focus:

Create a HUB where resources, relevant skills, and experience can be gained year-round, enabling student engineers to be industry ready.

Governance:

Garagium is a fiscally sponsored program of the Hack Foundation, a 501(c)(3).

Hey, I’m Marcus, the founder.

I’m studying Mechanical Engineering and serve as VP of the SME Bothell student chapter. I am a member and have served as a lead at TrickFire Robotics.

In high school, I was a lead of the design and build teams for Bearcat Robotics, a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team. Those three years in FRC opened the world of engineering for me. I learned the engineering process and grew tremendously thanks to my mentors and the FIRST community.

When I entered college, I immediately joined an engineering club because I knew that clubs are the place where students actually apply knowledge. Most people who join engineering clubs are ambitious and driven, and that’s what I like.

I’m on a mission to enable aspiring engineering students with the support, community, and resources to exercise their ingenuity.

High-fiving uncertainty,

Marcus

“Applied knowledge is my definition of experience. In doing, you learn, because reality gives everyone personal feedback.”

-Marcus Marie

What have I done to honor future engineers?

My earliest memories of being involved with engineering and taking a role to help others was when I was in LEGO Robotics during elementary school. I wasn’t just a member. Since my mom started the after-school program, I was heavily involved each week helping her setup the lesson and testing the build instructions at our kitchen table. Being involved behind the scenes, I felt proud to be part of something that helped others learn. I grew to become a mentor in that club which shaped my self-image of being someone who honored the growth of others.

In high school, I joined a robotics team, we only had a classroom. I helped the team grow over the next 3 years into a competitive team. Over that time, I taught 5 people the fundamentals of the engineering design process and how to use CAD.

Later, I served as a leader on my high school robotics team. Over time, we grew to become a strong competitive team winning awards, and building a team structure that was sustainable. Somewhere along the way, the team came up with a running joke: “Blame Marcus.”

It started one day when the robot was not working, and the finger of blame was pointing. I wanted to discourage that behavior and said something along the lines of, “It doesn’t matter who is to blame. If you need someone to blame, blame me.” From that point forward, they repeatedly said, “Blame Marcus!” This was said whenever something broke or didn’t go right. I leaned into the joke and enjoyed it. It meant that people knew I was willing to take responsibility and to stand behind the outcome, good or bad. Later, the phrase was even used when my actions led to accomplishments, such as when the robot won the quality award.

In college, I have helped start 1 engineering club,

4th grade, Lego Robotics, 2 years

High School (FRC) Bearcat Robotics, 3 years

College, TrickFire Robotics, current