[the big red button]

I felt like a greatly distorted version of "The Crocodile Hunter", hunting for heads and new friends instead of overgrown lizards like Steven Irwin. Camera in one hand, iPad in the other, I walked outside the Union searching for a stranger. 

I found him sitting on a park bench, quietly drinking his iced black coffee and watching as the world went on around him. With the exception of the statues, he was the only stagnant figure outside of the Union. I decided he needed some company. 

I gave him a small wave.  

He gave me a strange look. 

I took that as permission to sit down with him. 

I launched in to an awkward introduction about who I was and what I was doing. I fumbled for the right words to adequately explain why I was intruding upon his peaceful afternoon. Finally, he understood. Our conversation began. 

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked. 

He smiled. 

"I want to build electric cars."  

"I joined the solar car team because it sounded cool and I knew one of the people that was on it. The captain of the solar car team knew a guy named Brian Shanks who works at a company that does electric car batteries. And so the team captain hooked me up with an internship there, and I've been there for two summers now."

"What's it like watching one of your inventions on the road for the first time?"

"Typically, it's unnerving and frantic, because something always goes wrong. Especially when I program stuff, because there are always bugs, initially. And typically I'm the one driving it, so if something goes horribly wrong, then I have to hit the big red 'oh shit' button. That's the technical term. I haven't gotten too hurt, yet."