{"id":18700,"date":"2025-10-29T13:44:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T13:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/18700\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T13:44:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T13:44:07","slug":"pouring-passion-into-the-oakland-diy-skatepark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/18700\/","title":{"rendered":"Pouring Passion into the Oakland DIY Skatepark"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Casas, then a mechanical engineering<\/a> student at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering (BS MEMS \u201922), established what today is the Oakland DIY<\/a>, an officially recognized skatepark filled with concrete structures. In 2024, before Casas left Pittsburgh, he passed the project to another Pitt mechanical engineering student, Andrew (AJ) Haddon. Together, with tremendous support from the community, the two have engineered a thriving community place.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wood<\/p>\n

Growing up outside of Philadelphia, Casas was introduced to engineering by his dad, an electrical engineer. \u201cHe would show me what he was working on,\u201d Casas said. \u201cHis work is more computer based, but I\u2019ve always been hands on and went into mechanical engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 15, he started skateboarding and fell in love with the sport, which since the 1950s has connected fellow skaters from across towns and even the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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