Daydreaming: Giving Back to The World I Belong to

I flick the light switch, grab a key off the rack and walk over to open the falcon door of my electric masterpiece. The garage door opens and I roll out an eight hundred horsepower beast, capable of going from zero to sixty in two seconds flat. This is my creation – a car that I have designed, prototyped, tested, added onto, and retested until I’ve ended up with a work of art and machinery that I daydream about.

As a dancer recalls the moves before she performs, I am constantly reviewing my ambitions in my mind. Cars are a regular theme as I find them fascinating in every way. Whether on a long run or while eating my breakfast, I daydream about being part of a team that crafts the future of getting from point A to point B in new and exciting ways.

Is it bad to dream ambitiously? Elon Musk had daydreamed that he would colonize mars and despite the skepticism of many, he has become the man behind the future of space travel and the founder of the most revolutionary electric car company of our time. Some have told me that being the best is not a realistic goal or that designing cars is a shallow pursuit. Yet, I want to be an engineer who designs safe automobiles that maximize the utter thrill of driving, while causing minimal impact to our environment. Though I currently drive a twelve-year-old banged-up, completely uncool minivan with speakers that no longer impress, the act of driving will always be an enjoyable experience for me. While I recognize that there is a place for autopilot in the future of driving, especially in such areas as those that are plagued by heavy traffic, I would never want to be required to be a passenger in the driver's seat.

Driving is about the journey, not simply the destination, as driving can be the embodiment of freedom itself. I would rather see travel revert back to horse and buggy before I allow the fun factor to be driven out of driving. I dream of making cars that thrill people - to remind them, constantly, what getting behind the wheel is all about. I am lucky enough to have been raised in the Green Mountains of Vermont, where the peaks change from a lively green, to a mix of red and orange to finally, a frosty white. As soon as one leaves the state, the views become impaired by billboards and concrete towers. This contrast is constantly reminding me just how beautiful the untainted is, and motivates me to refrain from contributing to the harm of our Earth. I dream of being part of the generation who reverses our tenacious destruction, and lives with a mutual respect for the world we live in.

Converting the world's transportation industry from gasoline to electricity is just the first step in preserving our world. Renewable energy will not solve all of the problems in the world, but it is the best place to start. I dream of incorporating a sustainable system of refining how cars use energy, down to the very buttons on the dashboard. I dream of being the man who gives back to the world he belongs to, as is my responsibility. In the end, I want to become someone who will use my inventive energy to bridge the gap between safety and thrill - between the preservation of human life and the celebration of being alive. Many aspire to drive the car of their dreams; I aspire to give them something to dream about.