As a child, I was raised in an automotive family. My grandfather was a car guy, my father was a car guy, and my uncle was a car guy. You get the idea. Some of my very first memories were going to our local drag strip, now called Kuhnle Motorsports Park, or going to car shows in the very small backseat of my father’s 1999 Mustang GT. I guess it would make sense that the car bug bit me too. I bought my first car when I was fifteen, a black-on-black 1995 Mustang GT, 302 5-speed. I still have it, it’s not a 302 anymore, I coyote swapped it in the winter of 2023-2024, still a 5-speed though. Not much of that car has been left untouched, wiring, suspension, bodywork, interior, mechanical, if you can name it, I’ve probably messed with it in that car. Some of those parts have come from the Carlisle swap meets at Ford Nationals. I’ve been to Carlisle three times, once when I was younger to the Truck Nationals, and twice to the Ford Nationals, once entering my father’s 2016 Ford Raptor, which he won 3rd place in the Raptor class, and entering my own Mustang in 2021. I have already entered my Mustang into the 2025 Ford Nationals in the 1994-1995 Modified class. Being a gearhead not only allowed me to appreciate design but also allowed me to tinker and experiment, which led me to want to become a mechanical engineer. As a mechanical engineer at the University of Akron, I have been able to expand my ability to design and build new components, both for my vehicle, as I have with bracketry, and some other small items within my Mustang, but also as a member of the FSAE Zips Racing Electric team. It was one of the primary reasons for my coming to Akron, a well-renowned team that allows me to create and design components for an F1-style car. Although the combustion engine team has been phased out, the electric car team is going strong, and we are building a brand-new car from the ground up for competition this year. I am involved in the powertrain team, and I have designed and built things from simple casings and mounting bracketry to axles and brake parts. I hope to carry this knowledge of 3D design and machine work experience into my career. Among these experiences I have gained from school, I hope to interweave my mechanical experience into it as well. Designing machinery and components is awesome, but one thing I have learned being a gearhead is that having the ability to repair and modify is crucial. Newer cars are getting more and more difficult to work on, and this is because the enthusiast is being phased out. The ability to modify without specialty tools or programs, or even to repair without them, is crucial for the enthusiast to survive. Less and less consideration is put into ease of repair for modern vehicles, with simple components such as sensors and other perishable items being tucked into places where removing the motor from its surroundings is the easiest way to get to them. I know everyone says they want to push the car industry back towards enthusiasts, but we’re a dwindling breed, and corporations continue to prioritize profit margins over the consumers. Maybe one day they will return to the enthusiast, but for now, I will do what I can.