When I found out that Dominick Quaye of San Leandro, California was one of the Big Hero 6- XPRIZE Challenge winners, I knew I had to interview him. Why? Well we both attended Head-Royce School. (Although I attended before he was born). As a fellow Jayhawk, I wanted to learn more about his experience being an XPRIZE winner.
But first, a little background. As part of the contest, people between the ages of 8 and 17 were asked to harness their creativity and come up with innovative ideas to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges using science, technology, engineering, art and/or mathematics. Dominick was one of 6 winners selected based on a combination of public voting and the scores from a panel of judges: Dr. Ed Catmull, President of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios; Gwynne Shotwell, president and CEO of SpaceX; Dean Kamen, an inventor, entrepreneur, and founder of FIRST ®; Anousheh Ansari, co-founder and chairwoman of Prodea Systems (and the first female private space explorer); and Jon Snoddy, VP, Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development. The winners received a trip to Los Angeles for three days of innovation and inspiration, including a private tour of Walt Disney Animation Studios, a meet-and-greet with the creative minds at Disney Imagineering, a special Visioneering experience at XPRIZE headquarters, and a walk down the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of Big Hero 6.
Dominick’s idea was quite inventive. He proposed a way to generate clean energy through the use of a high-altitude power generator held in place by massive weather balloons. While this may seem like a big idea, Dominick came across as a grounded young man who was amazed at the time it took to walk the red carpet. As I talked to him, I was stuck by the parallels between his story and the character of Hiro in Big Hero 6. Much like Hiro was mentored by Tadashi, Dominick credits his sixth-grade teacher for his success in the contest. And just like Hiro has a team of friends that help him reach his goals, Dominick credits his friends Noah, Calvin, and Alejandro for helping him with his project.
As I was talking to Dominick, the parallels to the film and to my own life struck me. My teachers at Head-Royce mentored me to do my best and to follow my dreams. While I am not doing important work like Dominick, I have no doubt my life inside the Disney Universe would not have happened without what I learned during my time at Head-Royce. I also have great friends, the LPP Crew for example, that help me live my dream everyday. We are our own Big Hero 6 team. Perhaps that is why the movie resonated with me. Everyone has their own personal team through with their support, they can achieve things that would be impossible to do on their own.
I am very proud of Dominick. It is great to see a fellow Jayhawk being recognized for their big ideas. I hope the experience Dominick has inspires him to keep dreaming. But dreaming big is not just a Head-Royce trait. Anyone can do great things, if they have their own Big Hero 6 team supporting them. Congratulations Dominick! I can’t wait to see what you dream up next.