Kayla Pagan, a recent graduate from Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, FL, currently works as a transmission engineer at Tampa Electric (TECO). She has been working at TECO since January 2025 where she uses PLS-CADD (computer-aided design for power lines) software to create, modify, analyze, and optimize designs for transmission lines. During her time at Florida Polytechnic, she held three different internships, one of which was with TECO, honing her skills throughout the year and preparing her for a full-time engineering position. 

Like any STEM professional, several experiences in Kayla’s earlier years led her to this job. One standout experience was Junior Solar Sprint (JSS). In 2014, Kayla’s family moved from Pennsylvania to Tampa, FL. At her new school, Kayla’s robotics teacher, Mr. Wilson, introduced her to JSS during one of his lessons. From 2014 to 2017, Kayla competed in JSS each year, advancing to the national competition at the Technology Student Association Conference two out of three years. For Kayla, the best part of JSS was practicing engineering design by building and modifying her own solar-powered car. According to Kayla, Mr. Wilson was always there to support his students and troubleshoot any issues, but he didn’t solve problems for you.  It was a great opportunity for hands-on learning and the experience helped Kayla learn from her mistakes. She also loved the chance to travel to the national conference to race her car against her peers and meet fellow students interested in STEM.

From sixth to eighth grade, Kayla discovered her interest in the field of engineering through JSS. Not only did she gain important technical skills that would help her advance toward a future engineering career, she also learned other invaluable skills, like teamwork. Which, per Kayla, is crucial for an engineer.  

Even after Kayla graduated from Mr. Wilson’s class, her involvement with JSS continued. Now, Kayla volunteers in his class and works with JSS students as they design and build their own solar-powered cars. Just as Mr. Wilson did for her, Kayla now encourages students to solve issues independently by guiding them toward finding a solution, rather than giving the answer away. For Kayla, JSS was a driving force in her journey, and she wants as many students as possible to have the opportunity to spark their interest in STEM. Kayla even came back to the National TSA Conference this June to volunteer and help run the races.

Kayla reflected on her years with JSS, and a few core memories stood out. At the regional Cocoa competition when Kayla was in sixth grade, the day was full of challenges. Her car was breaking and needed repairs, but instead of being discouraged, Kayla and her team kept at it. For some reason, the wheels on the solar car were running backwards, and they couldn’t figure out how to fix it. It was time to get innovative: if you can’t fix it, you need to adapt. So, Kayla and her team decided to race the car backwards! Despite the challenges, Kayla and her team were awarded the Innovation Award, one of the most difficult awards to win in JSS and still won first place in the race. And, of course, winning first place at the national competition in seventh grade was a major highlight of her JSS experience along with winning first place in all three awards at the regional Cocoa competition (Innovation, race, and design) in seventh grade.  

Kayla would encourage any STEM teacher to bring hands-on learning programs like JSS into their classroom. Directly applying the principles and theories you learn in class to a solar-powered car helps students see the real-world implications of their classroom lessons. JSS helped Kayla become the engineer she is today. Her advice: Get out there and spark your curiosity today; you never know where it might lead!