Conor Gillespie and Andrew Edzenga

When they met at GW’s orientation program in the summer before their freshman year, Conor Gillespie (left) and Andrew Edzenga (right) discovered that they shared an interest in cars. Over their four years at SEAS, the two friends have discovered a number of common interests and shared a number of uncommon experiences.

When the fall semester started their freshman year, Andrew and Conor both attended the first meeting of the SEAS Baja SAE team. By their sophomore year, they were nominated to lead the SEAS team as co-captains, a role they’ve held since then.

The Baja SAE is an international, intercollegiate design competition in which teams of university students design and build small off-road cars. The competition is intense, as are the preparations for it.

“It’s basically a full-time job at this point,” says Conor, noting that he and Andrew often spend 40 hours per week in the Science and Engineering Hall machine shop.

But so much more is involved than making parts for the car. Conor and Andrew are responsible for managing the team’s budget, discerning how best to utilize the talents of all the team members, and leading the team of 15-20 students through the complete vehicle design, manufacturing, and competition processes.

“It’s incredible to share the experience with a team, because you watch everyone grow throughout the season and when you’re finally at competition and something breaks, you have this team that you can wholeheartedly rely on. It’s almost like you don’t even need to speak in order to fix something,” Andrew adds. “Everyone has their tools ready; everyone knows exactly what to do.”

They are quick to give credit to the team’s faculty advisor, Dr. Murray Snyder, who meets with them weekly and mentors the team. “We want to thank Professor Snyder, Dean Dolling [former dean of SEAS], and Dean Riffat for providing us with this opportunity to go above and beyond in our education,” says Andrew.

And that’s exactly what they have done. Their sophomore year, both Andrew and Conor went beyond the borders of the US, studying abroad in Australia and Ireland, respectively. For Conor, studying in Ireland was a chance to learn more about his heritage, himself, and the world. “It was an amazing experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat,” he says enthusiastically.

Andrew used his time in Australia to observe the similarities and differences between Australia and the US, and to keep up with his interest in cars, joining the University of Technology Sydney’s electric race car team.

Junior year brought new adventures for them, as both landed summer internships at Tesla. Conor worked as a design engineering intern in the company’s headquarters in Palo Alto, CA, while Andrew worked in the company’s Freemont, CA, facility as a manufacturing facilities mechanical engineering intern. Six months after their internships ended, they still speak exuberantly about their experiences.

“I fell in love with [the company]. I woke up at six a.m. every morning and would get to work as fast as I could. You get to work with incredibly intelligent people solving impossible problems. Tesla’s energy and passion are enthralling,” says Andrew.

Conor adds, “Innovation was endless. The people you work with are the smartest people you’ll meet. They don’t feel held back by anything, and there’s a ‘never say no’ mentality.”

Conor and Andrew are both interested in returning to Tesla to work, but they’re exploring other options, too. That’s not surprising: these two young men who led a team as sophomores, explored other countries, and wrangled internships from a top technology company will make other opportunities for themselves as they grow into their careers.