Class of 2027 · Polytechnic School

I build things people actually use.

From Home Depot kids' workshops to captaining the Perihelion solar car team: welding, CAD, electronics, and code. This portfolio documents how each project actually went, including what broke and what I changed.

See the work Résumé (PDF)
The Perihelion solar car with the team at a test session

01 — About

The short version

I got into making through Home Depot's kids' workshops and building Legos with my dad. From there it was basic engineering projects, maker fairs, and learning to solder. I've always wanted to know how things work, which usually meant taking them apart: I used to take keyboards apart in my uncle's garage.

Now I work on the Perihelion solar car, where I do a lot of CAD, some coding, and welding. I MIG, TIG, and stick weld, and I'm building a BMW E39 into a race car for 24 Hours of Lemons.

For other people, I lead: I captain the solar car team and run my Lemons race team. For my Eagle Scout project, I came up with a service project for Olive View Medical Center myself, then led the volunteers who built it.

  • Focus Mechanical design, fabrication, embedded code
  • Intended major Mechanical Engineering
  • Based in Pasadena, CA

02 — How I got here

Fourteen years of taking things apart

A few moments from the photo album, from the first hard hat to the first race.

  1. 2012

    First hard hat, first wrench.

  2. 2013

    Home Depot kids' workshops: hammer, nails, paint.

  3. 2015

    Egg-drop contraption with a parachute and balloons.

  4. 2016

    Learning to solder.

  5. 2018

    A wearable cardboard tank for Halloween.

  6. 2019

    A papier-mâché submarine big enough to wear, for Halloween.

  7. 2021

    Building wooden garden beds.

  8. 2022

    First time at a forge.

  9. 2023

    A 3D-printed electric guitar.

  10. 2025

    Solar car team, Texas Motor Speedway.

03 — Selected work

Projects

Most recent and most significant first. Click any photo to enlarge it, or open a build log for the problem, process, what broke, and what I learned.

04 — Capabilities

What I work with

Welding & Metal

MIG · TIG · Stick welding · Angle grinder · Belt grinder · Forging

Solar car chassis parts, pergola post brackets, custom parts and a spoiler for the race car. I have my own welder and take odd welding jobs on the side.

CAD

Fusion 360 · Onshape

Designed the solar car's wheel adapter, compute and camera mounts for humanoid robots in Caltech's AMBER Lab, and projects for my engineering class.

Code

Raspberry Pi · Java · Web

Solar car telemetry, onboard failsafes, team website; a mock stock-trading website for practice trading.

Electronics

PCB design · Soldering · Breadboarding · Low-voltage wiring

Germanium fuzz pedal board (2024), guitar wiring (2023), solar car lighting and low-voltage wiring, trimming the race car's wiring to save weight.

Fabrication

3D printing · Carpentry · Glassblowing · Welding art

Printed guitar body and odd parts at home; cut and built the pergola and raised beds.

Automotive

Interior teardown · Vehicle wiring · Test driving · Custom parts

Lemons race car build, including a welded spoiler; solar car test driver.

05 — Beyond my own bench

Leadership & community

  1. With the E39 race car project 2026

    Founder & Team Captain, 24 Hours of Lemons Team

    Founded a three-person team to race a $500 BMW E39 in the 24 Hours of Lemons endurance race. I own the car, which I drove two hours each way to Ventura with a rented trailer to buy, and I run the team: planning our meetings and work days, deciding what we do to the car, and handling all the paperwork.

  2. Decorating a Rose Parade float December 2025

    Volunteer, Rose Parade Float Decorating

    Helped decorate the Pasadena Community Foundation's float, putting flowers on it for hours over two days in a row.

  3. Volunteer crew on staining day 2025

    Eagle Scout Project Lead, Garden Pergola & Raised Beds

    Planned for four months, then led about 20 volunteers through a prep day and two build days (160 volunteer hours) to build a pergola shade structure and vegetable garden at Olive View Medical Center.

  4. 2023 — present

    Captain & Mechanical Lead, Perihelion Solar Car Team

    On the team since freshman year; now captain and mechanical lead of a 15–20 student team. Placed 2nd in the Advanced Division at the 2025 Solar Car Challenge and 3rd overall in the 2026 cross-country race. I split the team into electrical, mechanical, and business & operations sub-teams, each with one lead. The business side brings in non-engineers, because raising money and getting forms in on time are a big part of the challenge too. With one lead per sub-team, there's always one person responsible for getting each thing done.

  5. Holding a reDiscover Center sign 2023 — present

    Volunteer, reDiscover Center

    Help teach kids basic design and construction, mostly with cardboard, wooden skewers, and odds and ends. The real goal is helping them come up with their own ideas, design them, and build them. I want younger kids to get to experience the things I grew up doing and love now, because building is such a great way to be creative and figure out how things work.

06 — Recognition

Awards & coursework

Awards

  • Solar Car Challenge: 3rd overall, Advanced Division, 650-mile cross-country race 2026
  • Solar Car Challenge: 2nd place, Advanced Division 2025
  • Eagle Scout 2026

Relevant coursework

  • AP Computer Science A
  • AP Computer Science Principles
  • ✏️ Other courses, e.g. AP Physics, Calculus, engineering electives

Certifications

  • ✏️ e.g. welding certification, shop sign-offs