HARRISONBURG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL'S
ELECTRIC VEHICLE GRAND PRIX
ALUMNI
OUR TEAMS EXIST BECAUSE OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR ALUMNI. WE HONOR THE LEGACY THEY HAVE BESTOWED UPON US. THEY HAVE INSPIRED US TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE AND SHOWN THAT TRUE SUCCESS IS NOT JUST WINNING, BUT LEARNING.
MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER:
I WOULD LOVE FOR EV TO BECOME A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO PURSUE THEIR IDEAS AND TRY OUT NEW THINGS WHILE FOSTERING A SAFE AND CARING COMMUNITY.
- OWEN JOHNSTON
OWEN JOHNSTON - HARRISONBURG HIGH SCHOOL
BLUE STREAK 445
CLASS OF '22
WHAT DID YOU ENJOY THE MOST WHILE BEING IN EV?
I REALLY ENJOYED BUILDING THE CAR WITH EVERYONE. IT MADE ME HAPPY TO SEE EVERYONE COME TOGETHER TO DO SOMETHING THEY WERE PASSIONATE ABOUT.
WHAT WERE SOME TAKEAWAYS?
"MY BIGGEST TAKEAWAY WAS THE EXPERIENCE I GOT FROM BUILDING A CLUB FROM THE GROUND UP AND THAT EVEN IF YOU DON'T WIN THE RACE, IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU DIDN'T SUCCEED."
WHAT IS ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE OUR CURRENT AND FUTURE MEMBERS OF EV?
"I WOULD TELL THE CURRENT AND FUTURE MEMBERS OF EV TO KEEP THE PEDAL TO THE METAL. I AM SO PROUD WITH HOW WELL THE CLUB IS DOING AFTER ONLY 3 YEARS AND I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE WHERE YOU ALL WILL GO. YOU ALL ARE DOING A GREAT JOB AND I LOVE SEEING ALL OF THE INNOVATIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS YOU ALL COME UP WITH."
WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW?
AFTER GRADUATING I DECIDED TO PURSUE A MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEGREE AT OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING. I AM PART OF TWO PROJECT TEAMS AT OLIN, FORMULA SAE AND BAJA SAE. I AM PLANNING TO INTERN AT MERCK DURING THE SUMMER.
NIRANJAN ARADHEY - HARRISONBURG HIGH SCHOOL
BLUE STREAK 445
CLASS OF '23
WHAT DID YOU ENJOY THE MOST WHILE BEING IN EV?
"WHAT I ENJOYED THE MOST IN EV WERE THE MOMENTS ON RACE DAY WHEN I GOT TO SEE ALL THE WORK PAY OFF. IT WAS SUPER REWARDING TO HAVE ALL THE EXTRA SYSTEMS WE ADDED TO THE CAR WORK."
WHAT WERE SOME TAKEAWAYS?
"DURING MY TWO YEARS ON THE TEAM, I LEARNED A LOT OF TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE CAR AND ITS COMPONENTS, SPECIGICALLY ITS BATTERIES. I ALSO LEARNED A LOT ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT WHILE HAVING A GOOD TIME."
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU GIVE TO CURRENT AND FUTURE MEMBERS OF OUR EV TEAMS?
NOT MANY PEOPLE GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON A LITERAL RACE CAR WHEN IN HIGH SCHOOL. HAVE FUN WHILE MAKING THE MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITY!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW?
I AM NOW ATTENDING VIRGINIA TECH AND STUDYING MECHANICAL ENGINEERING.
EMMA SWARTZ - HARRISONBURG HIGH SCHOOL
BLUE STREAK 445
CLASS OF '23
"WHAT DID YOU ENJOY THE MOST WHILE BEING IN EV?
MY TWO FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT BEING A PART OF EV WERE THE FRIENDS THAT I MADE AND THE PROGRESS THAT WE MADE AS A TEAM OVER THE COURSE OF MY TIME ON THE TEAM"
WHAT WERE SOME TAKEAWAYS?
"PRESENTING YOURSELF WELL, HAVING A VERY STRONG
UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORK THAT YOU DID, AND HAVING FUN WILL TAKE YOU FURTHER IN THE LONG RUN THAN JUST WINNING!"
WHAT IS ADVICE YOU GIVE TO CURRENT AND FUTURE MEMBERS OF OUR EV TEAMS?
"REMEMBER THAT PROGRESS IS NOT ALWAYS LINEAR! THE SEASON ALWAYS HAS A TON OF TWISTS AND TURNS, LEARN TO HAVE FUN ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES!"
WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW?
"I AM CURRENTLY MAJORING IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. AT UVA I WORK IN A BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH LAB WHERE I AM STUDYING THE FEMALE-SPECIFIC EFFECTS OF A GENE CALLED KLF14 ON FAT-STORING CELLS TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUITY IN MEDICINE. I AM ALSO A PART OF THE CHASSIS DESIGN TEAM IN UVA’S SOLAR CAR CLUB AND I PLAY MELLOPHONE IN UVA’S PEP BAND!"
JACKSON CALHOUN - HARRISONBURG HIGH SCHOOL
BLUE STREAK 445