On Friday, February 26, 2026, students interested in STEM at the Academy boarded the buses and headed over to the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Upon arrival, students and chaperones were enthralled by the racecars speeding down the streets. According to the official Grand Prix website, the track is a “1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary circuit that uses the streets surrounding Pioneer Park, the Duke Energy Center for the Arts, The Dalí Museum and extends onto the runways at Albert Whitted Airport.”
After crossing a bridge built directly over the track, students gathered for a quick talk to discuss all the opportunities the event had to offer. From there, everyone broke into their chaperoned groups and made their way through the festival.
There was a wide variety of vendors that were giving away free merchandise such as TopGolf gift cards, free Kahwa drinks, and even free car washes. Senior Sydney Thomas got some hats, a phone fan, shirts, sunscreen and even some lip balm.She wasn’t expecting to get free stuff at a car race.
Members of the robotics team even got a chance to go behind the scenes and learn about the mechanics of racing.
Co-president of the Jagwires #11434 team, Faith-Mei Lee said it was a lot of fun to go back there and talk to a lead engineer and get to ask questions. Her favorite part was meeting the racecar drivers after the race and getting her shirt signed.
Lee says “I learned that for internships, it is best to put yourself out there and ask, the worst thing they can say is no.”
The highlight of the day was at Turn 10, which is known for being one of the most chaotic parts of the whole circuit. From there, students watched the USF2000 opener, which is an entry-level racing series for developing young drivers who want to make it to the big leagues.
In the end, 16-year-old Sebastian Garzon led every single lap of the 20-lap race to achieve victory. According to the official Grand Prix website, the win gives him an opportunity to win a scholarship valued at $409,816 to graduate onto the next step of the USF Pro Championships ladder, USF Pro 2000, in 2027.
Junior Ella Bowles was amazed by Garzon’s accomplishment, “It is inspiring to see someone our age achieve a win on that scale.”
When she found out that Garzon was the same age as her, she felt that she could do anything she put her mind to.
The field trip was organized by Engineering Teacher and First Tech Challenge Coach, Eric Price, who has a deep fascination with racing. For each attendee from AHN, he provided ponchos and earplugs, which were very useful.
When asked why he wanted to put this trip together Price said, “I often have students tell me they know ‘engineers make a lot of money, but I don’t want to sit in an office all day’. I like showing students the career options out there that they may have never heard of. I know that half of my students on this trip may never go to a racetrack again, and for them I hope it kept them curious about how deep something as simple as “the fastest car wins” actually can be.”
As it turned out, the day gave students a front row seat to exactly the kind of pressure that engineers face in the real world and it could not have been more perfectly timed.
Price said, “At this event, I couldn’t have planned it better: The team that we specifically went to see failed their first inspection of the day. This means their electronics, engine, or physical dimensions were not built close enough to the rules for this year. The team scrambled to repair/rebuild parts of their racecar from 9am until noon, finally passing inspection just in time. This same exact tense moment happened with both of our robotics teams this year: working under pressure to meet a deadline.”
Overall, the day was a big success, showing AHN girls that engineering can take you places you could never imagine.
