When reflecting on what I enjoyed most during my childhood, my mind automatically goes to building and riding bikes with friends. The excitement of tearing apart a bike and figuring out how it all works, why it needs to be maintained and then of course, remembering how it all goes back together, gave me hours of enjoyment. All of this exploration gave me an opportunity to pursue other avenues of mechanics. From bikes, it became tinkering with small engines, motorcycles, cars, trucks and the rest is history. If I hadn't had the opportunity to explore tools and machinery, I wouldn't have the interests and skills I have now. It is my passion and I want to share it with youth that don't have the same opportunities I had.

 

My career since college has revolved around working with youth. Most recently, I have been developing and managing after school programs with at-risk teens.  It is here that I realized I should be combining these two passions together to develop a comprehensive after school program that provides a creative hands-on building experience for at-risk youth. With a majority of the school day focused on subjects like math and literacy, there is little time left for hands on experiences with prototyping, engineering and activities that build fine motor skills. WheelLab is here to fill that void. ~Lance Latimer, Founder