1. 1550 Owens Store Road
Canton, GA 30115
4/13/2012
Judges, Senior Project
Creekview High School
1550 Owens Store Road
Canton, GA 30115
Dear Judges:
My name is Sam Bonno and I am a Creekview Grizzly. Throughout all my life I have
grown up in rural areas and learned to love the outdoors, spending time with my family,
and working with my hands. I plan to attend Georgia Southern University to earn a
degree in Mechanical Engineering. I chose to design and construct a drive-able vehicle
from scratch as my Senior Project. My vehicle is classified as a go-kart, and was built to
be used by a 10-11 year old child (my younger brother).
My product involved many different parts and assemblies. In my research I learned about
different designs and models that can be produced. After selecting a basic design to
model after, I needed to compile a list of parts and shopping list. The searching that was
required and the trial and error of building posed a large obstacle and tested my patience
and skills. This Senior Project has taught me not only valuable mechanical skills, but
caused me to endure hardships. Most importantly, I learned that nothing ever works right
the first time, and the only way to succeed is to keep trying.
This topic for my Senior Project definitely relates to the career I intend to pursue because
it involves planning out and assembling mechanical parts. Mechanical engineering is
defined as: A discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials
science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems.
Throughout the processes of this project I had to learn new ways to solve problems, and
look at things creatively. I enjoyed working with my hands and seeing a project reach
completion. I hope a career in Mechanical Engineering can provide the same satisfaction
I know many of my peers hate the senior project. I thought I felt the same. However, as I
completed this long project, I realized how much I had learned and enjoyed the skills I
learned. In my project I used all sorts of tools, and learned electrical skills, welding skills,
plasma cutter skills, and general mechanics. I think everyone should do projects like this
to see what they can accomplish and see a finished project. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Sam Bonno