Through the After-School Program's Design Collective Club, Ila founded Spark Racing. Lily joined as Vice President and Enterprise Lead, with design teacher Mr. Coker signing on as advisor. Their challenge: operate like a real Formula 1 team — designing, engineering, and racing a high-performance miniature car while building a distinctive brand from the ground up.

The results came fast. In their very first season, the rookie team placed 3rd at the STEM Racing Eastern Regional Championship, punching a ticket to Nationals. There, they didn't just show up — they made history, earning a top 10 finish and the "Best New Team" award presented by Cadillac F1, the highest-placing new team ever at the national level.

Getting there took more than talent. Ila credits a wide circle of support at Dwight with Dwight’s Director of After-School Ms. Medic taking the time to understand what they were doing in the Club, Mr. Coker signing on as advisor without hesitation, and even our Spark Tank incubator program playing a role, helping them to gain funding for the team's trip to Nationals.

That momentum will now carry them across the globe. Next week, Ila and Lily have been invited to join Team SW1FT, the reigning U.S. National Champions, to represent the United States at the Aramco STEM Racing World Finals in Singapore — one of only three teams chosen among 83 teams from 30 countries. Ila steps in as Aerodynamics Engineer and Project Manager, while Lily leads enterprise and sustainability. Held the week before the Singapore Grand Prix, the Finals will let the team walk the actual Grand Prix track and meet F1 drivers, engineers, and team leadership.

"It's surreal," Ila says, "Spark Racing started last year as an idea that I worked really hard on. There were many moments of uncertainty, but I powered through it — and now, to be part of a team representing the United States at the World Finals in Singapore, is an opportunity I'm very grateful for." 

For Ila, the biggest lesson through this amazing rise to international competition has been discovering just how much she loves the work itself. "I really enjoy the entire engineering process — not just having an idea, but building it, testing it, figuring out what went wrong, and improving it," she says. "I'll carry everything I've learned into my future career in engineering."

Though Ila came to STEM Racing through engineering, Lily arrived by a different road — one that runs through design, performing, and debate. Her love of motorsport was sparked early, by a little blue sports car her grandfather gave her, and cemented in 2022 when her family attended the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. "Being there in person, hearing the cars and seeing how every team worked together, made me want to understand how it all works," she says. 

STEM Racing showed her that her strengths belonged in motorsport, too. "Designing our uniforms, creating our videos, and building our sustainability partnership — that's all part of what makes a team competitive, just like in real F1."

Next week in Singapore promises to be a full-circle moment for a team that began with a spark of genius and led them to an opportunity to contend in one of the world's largest STEM competitions.

A very mighty congratulations to Ila and Lily on their journey thus far, and we wish them, and Team SW1FT, the best of luck as they take on the World Finals! 

Read even more from Ila and Lily in their interview with Authority Magazine, "Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Ila Giroux and Lily Beal of Dwight School On The 5 Leadership Lessons They Learned From Their Experience."