My Best

            I would have to say I have been at my best when I was the leader for the Davenport West High School Electric Car team my senior year.  We were working for the second year to build an electric car that would be qualified to race at the end of the year in Cedar Rapids.  I faced a lot of challenges and overcame the bulk of them.

The electric car from 2009

           I inherited the team from the previous year's leader, who graduated.  I decided that we as a team were going to do things differently from the way it had been done before.  We built a mockup out of wood, while we decided what type of metal to use.  I felt very confident in the team at that point, we had a member who could weld very well, someone who knew a lot about cars, and people who were more than willing to learn more.
          I found it difficult being a leader when a few people refused to return for a second year because they didn't want a girl telling them what to do, and how to do it.  It was disheartening to know this, and I considered giving up my position, but instead kept it to try and overcome that challenge. I managed to accomplish this with few other difficulties.  It became more fun after that point, I made friends and was actually looked up to, which felt really good and boosted my self esteem.
         We managed to get the car built and running this last summer, it was a lot of fun.  We clocked the car at about 30 miles per hour.  This was running off of two twelve volt car batteries, and a motor.  There were no brakes (one of the parts left on the to-do list).  We unfortunately didn't make the deadline for the race, but we did make it drivable by the time I left to come to ISU.  It made me feel very proud and I think I was at my best at that point.

2009 electric car team from back to front: Shannon, Franzenburg (coach), Rebecca, Jake, ??, Ben, Lupe, Anthony, Jeramie, ???, Demerest, Kelly(Teacher chaperone)

         Being in that leadership position made me grow up a little, it got me to think more about what I was capable of, and taught me how to network effectively.  It definitely has paid off, at the career fair, it was a major talking point for me with company representatives. I think that using this has helped me deal with my stress in a healthier matter, and will keep me striving to do my best all through college.





Links to West Electric Car Team videos and Pictures:
http://www.youtube.com/user/WestEngineering
http://s887.photobucket.com/albums/ac75/WestEngineering/Electrathon%20Car/2010/