Alexis Qureshi's Contact Details

Alexis Qureshi's Company Details

MINDDRIVE

, N/A, US • 5 - 9 Employees
Non-Profit

MINDDRIVE has the mission of inspiring at-risk teens to want to learn, expanding their vision for the future, and having a positive impact on the urban work force. We use experiential learning and a one-on-one mentoring process to teach teens how to solve problems through design projects, giving them hands-on skills to take out into the work force. In the first year of MINDDRIVE the students and mentors built an electric car, which was tested at the Bridgestone proving grounds in Texas for its efficiency, resulting in over 300 MPGe, an amazing feat.Since that time, MINDDRIVE has completed 4 car projects: The Lola (above), The Reynard, which was also a lightweight Indy chassis that the students designed a body around and covered in a spandex fabric.The comparison between the chain drive and belt driive was done between the two cars.The next class of MINDDRIVE, in 2012, converted a 1977 Lotus Esprit to be fully electric, with 96 volts and the ability to drive highway speeds. In a culminating tour, the students and mentors drove their car from San Diego, California to Jacksonville, Florida in 12 days; a total of 1200 miles. This accomplishment which had never been achieved before was done by a group of high school students from the urban core of Kansas City! There were 44 stops along the way for charging, during which the students made presentations about the program, its impact on their lives and their education. In 2013, the program purchased a 1967 Karmann Ghia, which the new class fully restored and converted to be fully electric. This car is a real beauty and started to get noticed right away as a media darling. The story of contrast between the beautiful vintage design of the Ghia against the urban group of modern teenagers was one that drew you in. You had to learn more! So, the Social Fuel Tour was born and the teens used the power of social media to get their car to the Capitol, where they told their story of how hands on learning works!