Nine-year-old Stella Stakolosa, who has cerebral palsy, loves lacrosse despite using a wheelchair. Her challenge was not mobility, but finding a way to launch a lacrosse ball effectively. Enter Brendan McCarthy and his "Engineering For Us All" (e4usa) students at College Park Academy in Prince George’s County.
This innovative team designed a special lacrosse stick that Stella could activate, enabling her to fully engage in the game she loves. The e4usa course was co-founded by University of Maryland President Darryll Pines, who joined Stella, her mom, and the class to test the new lacrosse stick.
Stella, known for her competitive spirit, declared at the project unveiling that her future opponents “are going down!” Her confidence shines through in her bright smile and enthusiastic voice. “I’m so good at playing!” she told WTOP.
Stella’s mother, Megan, shared her daughter’s determination. “Stella is the type of kid who wants to do everything, and I have a hard time saying no,” she said with a laugh.
The project began when Volunteers for Medical Engineering connected McCarthy and his students with Stella. The students faced several challenges and initial failures during the design and testing process but ultimately succeeded in creating a functional product.
“To see the smile on Stella’s face and just how excited she is about it — this is why people get into engineering,” McCarthy said.
Junior Aiden McFarlane, one of the students involved, expressed his amazement at the opportunity. Initially aspiring to be a pilot, he now finds joy in solving real-world problems through engineering. Stella even had her favorite color, pink, incorporated into the project, ensuring her personality shone through in her new lacrosse stick.
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Photo: Getty