Dunbar High students win electric car race at Sebring after graduation night

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The I Will Mentorship Foundation urban garden helps the community and teaches STEM to kids.

Dunbar High School's Tiger Engineering Racing Division took home first place at the Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) Electrathon Speedway Series race at Sebring International Raceway May 17.

In only their second-ever competition, the newly formed Electrathon team outpaced 11 other high schools to claim the top overall finish. Dunbar completed 154 laps across two races, beating Lyman High School (145 laps) and Miami Coral Park (139 laps).

The Dunbar team, made up of Nadejelly Lucien, Magdelena Abella, Sebastian Rodriguez, Isaiah Mones and Wesley Russell, kicked off its racing season in April at Homestead-Miami Speedway, competing for the first time during the Formula E Miami E-Prix. Formula E is a global electric vehicle (EV) motorsport series, and students had the opportunity to explore cutting-edge EV technology and take part in community outreach alongside professionals in the field.

The Electrathon program gives students hands-on experience with STEM principles. Students design, build and race energy-efficient electric go-karts that travel the farthest distance on a single battery charge, not necessarily the fastest.

"This is an exciting time here at Sebring because many of the students on track today are preparing to graduate and hopefully proceed into higher education or a career in this industry and in STEM," said Isabella Burckhardt, Community Relations Specialist at FPL, which sponsors the series.

Four of the five Dunbar team members graduated just the night before but arrived at school before 4:30 a.m. to make the trip to Sebring. Their dedication paid off with a strong showing in both races. The team placed second in the first round, just one lap behind the winner, and dominated the second race with a four-lap lead and the day's fastest final lap.

Lucien, a senior at Dunbar High School and one of the team's drivers, was thrilled to participate. "I'm really excited to be driving," she said. "I want to have fun today, and I want to learn a lot on the car racing, and I want to learn a lot about the other cars too."

She said she plans to study civil engineering at Florida Gulf Coast University. "Since Electrathon, I'm tied up with racing now," she said, smiling. Lucien also encouraged others to join. "Girls, join Electrathon. Do engineering. Y'all going to like it."

Abella, another senior at Dunbar High School, said she's considering pursuing civil engineering. "I've never done anything like this in high school, so it's kind of the highlight of not only this year, but my whole high school career," Abella said.

FPL currently supports 25 high schools across Florida with EV-build kits and instructional training, including four schools in Southwest Florida. In addition to racing, students participated in educational activities hosted by SRO Motorsport America, including pit lane tours and meet-and-greets with racers.

Dunbar High School concluded its racing season at Daytona International Speedway June 10. The team is expected to return for the 2025-26 season in September.

Mickenzie Hannon is a watchdog reporter for The News-Press and Naples Daily News, covering Collier and Lee counties. Contact her at 239-435-3423 or mhannon@gannett.com.