Tinley Park High School Student to Compete in ComEd Icebox Derby

Jocelyn Sandoval, who is going to be a sophomore at Tinley Park High School this year, will be participating in the 5th Annual ComEd Icebox Derby on August 4th at 12:00pm at Daley Plaza in Chicago. The Icebox Derby will also stream live on ComEd’s Facebook page.

The purpose of the ComEd Icebox Derby is to encourage young girls to learn about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). 30 girls from across the Chicagoland area are chosen and broken into six teams with five girls on each team. Additionally, every team is accompanied by ComEd mentors who help them along the way to build solar-powered racecars from recycled refrigerators. On August 4th, the girls will put their solar-powered cars to the test in a head-to-head race at Daley Plaza. There are 30 participant prizes available for teams to win which include laptops and $1,500 scholarships!

To be chosen for this opportunity, girls ages 13 to18 who reside in Illinois and are enrolled in seventh through eighth grade fill out an application online and additional essay questions. A ComEd panel then chooses which 30 girls will participate each year. If chosen, students meet two days a week for four weeks in the summer to work on their recycled car.

Sandoval says her interest in the program originally stemmed from her sister, Sofia Sandoval, who participated in the program last year and will be a freshman at Tinley Park High School this year. Her sister’s team came in second place, a big accomplishment. Sandoval, who is hoping to take first place, says her team (The Violet Vortex) is doing well so far despite some initial challenges.

“In our second challenge we had some trouble with circuiting,” says Sandoval. “We had to make sure the circuiting that connects our car horn and headlights was connected correctly and would work, but we kept running into problems. I even cut my finger on the wiring. In the long run it turned out to be okay though, and we won the challenge.”

Sandoval credits their success to teamwork. In fact, she says her favorite part of the entire program is getting to meet new people.

“At first it was sort of awkward meeting a new group of people, but then you get comfortable because you realize you all have the same interests and that you will need a good bond to succeed,” says Sandoval. “Meeting a new group of people has been my favorite part. By the second day we already had a chant made and everything.”

Sandoval’s favorite subjects are science and anything that has to do with technology. While she still has a few years before college, she says she knows she wants to do something that pertains to technology. She’d also like to see science help make vaccinations and medical care more accessible.

For more information about the ComEd Icebox Derby, please visit http://iceboxderby.com/