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Jussie Hargraves' interest in roller coasters started before he was even tall enough to ride them, with doodles of elaborate train tracks winding through the air on his elementary school notebooks. 

Now, as an electrical engineering junior at 91����, the same interest has inspired his entire student life — his major, the club he started, and even an internship with Great Escape Theme Park in Queensbury, New York. 

"My job title as an intern was ride operations supervisor, but I also had the chance to shadow the maintenance department, which was what I really wanted to do," Hargraves said.

As ride operations supervisor, Hargraves was responsible for different zones of the park, which could include six to 15 rides. He created schedules for ride operators, covered operator breaks or emergencies, and had to solve any problems that could cause a ride to shut down. 

"It may sound scary, but I learned that most of the time rides go down for very safe reasons," he said.

Ride operators shut down a ride if any tiny detail doesn't look right, and if any of the extremely sensitive sensors placed along the ride are triggered, they force the ride to shut down in a safe position. This could happen for many reasons, like changes in temperature, weather, or pressure on sensors, but because of extensive safety precautions, the maintenance department is always called to investigate. 

"The Bobcat is a wooden rollercoaster that was in my zone,” Hargraves said. “It's the newest one, and our maintenance calls would always end up being something simple, like someone pushed too hard on the gate in the queue line and the sensors didn't like it."

Every morning, hours before the park opens, a maintenance technician walks through each ride and goes through a long list of safety checks. This job requires hours of safety training before certification, but Hargraves was able to shadow and participate in safety checks on The Comet, another large wooden roller coaster. Together, they went through the list: checking the brakes, compressed air cylinders, seat belts, and gates. 

"We would turn it on and off and listen for specific sounds, and check every part of the ride and perimeter,” he said. “We even had to check the physical queue gates. Then, because it's a wooden roller coaster, it also has to be checked by a carpenter."

This opportunity was a dream come true for Hargraves, because hands-on experience operating and maintaining rides is a valuable skill for future ride engineers. It also brings a new level of attention to the student organization that Hargraves started last fall: the Theme Park Engineering and Design Club (TPED).

TPED is open to all students interested in theme park rides, and it hosts projects that allow students to practice their technical skills in several fields, including mechanical and electrical engineering, physics, and aesthetic design. 

"It's kind of our motto at this point — 'Everybody is an engineer' — because we're always engineering and problem-solving, and you don't have to be an engineering student to enjoy what we have to offer."

Last semester, TPED hosted a 3D-printed roller coaster project that split members into four teams: mechanical, controls, safety and compliance, and aesthetics. Together, they designed every part of a coaster, from making sure it was in line with real safety guidelines down to the soundtrack that plays during the ride. 

"It definitely took a village to get it to where it is now, and even now, it isn't finished,” Hargraves said. “We ran out of time to interface all of the electrical components into the ride, but we're continuing the project this year, which is going to be a lot of fun too." 

In addition to serving as the founder and president of TPED, Hargraves also serves as an event coordinator for 91����'s chapter of the American Society of Engineering Education, is a mentor for the Engineering Design Division at 91����, and is a Division I Track and Field athlete. Hargraves says he manages this rollercoaster of a schedule by being proactively organized, keeping a tight calendar, and maintaining a positive attitude. 

"My calendar has been my best friend. Everything is on my calendar, and if it's not, it may as well not exist,” he said. “It really does take a lot of organization and time to do so much, but I think everybody can do it if you're just organized enough."

Additionally, Hargraves credits much of his success to taking time to get to know others on campus and in his program, reaching out for advice when at a crossroads. Although he started in the mechanical engineering track, Hargraves realized after his first semester that what he most enjoyed was electrical engineering, and that although he was in the mechanical track, all his side projects were electrical.

At the persuasion of his friends, he worked hard to switch majors, make up the electrical classes he had missed, and get back on track for his degree. At the same time, Hargraves also started TPED and mentored other engineering students. He began to make his own community at 91����. 

"When I meet with my mentees, I really stress that you don't have to have it all figured out, but you need to start thinking about what it is that you enjoy doing,” he said “You can really make engineering work for any of your interests, and at the end of the day, the goal is your personal happiness. Find your community, join clubs, or start one. Figure out what it is you want from your degree and go for it — it's not over until it's over."