A techie character would fill a mechanical niche we don't seem to have. Personality-wise though, what would really stand out is someone who's relatively well-adjusted, maybe in with the popular kids. Maybe a baseball player. Could focus on thrown weapons or baseball bats for combat to stand out a little. He could even like video games and computer coding as a "secret shame," even though his parents have even grooming him to be a star player like his dad for years, if you want to bring in the "techie" element.
Just some random thoughts.