On his morning drives to Temple City High School, Jason passes the same stretch of the San Gabriel Mountains. Some days they appear crisp and clear, but on other days, smog dulls their edges — a daily reminder of the environmental challenges he hopes to help solve.

“There’s so much we have left to explore with technology to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and support clean energy,” said Jason, a high school senior. “One of those things is preserving the view of the majestic mountains I grew up with, so future generations can enjoy them too.”

By blending electrical engineering and computer science, Jason hopes to build technology that reduces pollution and improves how energy is managed. Now, finances will play less of a role in where he continues that journey as he was recently named an Edison Scholar, earning a $50,000 STEM-based scholarship from Edison International to help fund his college education.

While he hasn’t officially committed to a school yet, he’s leaning toward the University of California, Berkeley. “I’m so excited because this scholarship opens a lot of doors for my future,” he said. “Now I can explore more options and focus on how I want to use engineering to make an impact.”

It's something he has already started exploring with his school’s solar car team — the first of its kind at Temple City High School — where he and his classmates harnessed the sun’s energy to power a vehicle. Affectionately nicknamed “Bob,” the car competed nationally against dozens of others on the Texas Motor Speedway.

“That experience taught me how to ration energy and think carefully about efficiency,” he said. “Those are the same principles we’ll need to manage clean energy on a much bigger scale.”

Bob traveled more than 600 miles in three days, earning second place in its division at the 2024 Texas Solar Car Challenge — a standout moment for Jason, his teammates and mentors along the way.

“In a short time, I watched him go from learning basic code to applying those skills to power a car,” said Evan Phu, Jason’s computer science teacher. “As a teacher, it’s surreal to ride in a solar car your student helped build. He consistently pushes beyond the classroom to create real-world solutions.”

When he isn’t tinkering with electronics, Jason can be found elsewhere on campus — on the badminton court or in Phu’s classroom playing Marvel Rivals for the school esports team.

“Jason doesn’t just excel academically or technically,” said Principal Elena Li. “He’s stepped into leadership and collaboration — qualities we encourage in all our students. His actions speak for themselves, and we couldn’t be prouder.”

Jason hopes to apply that same creativity and problem-solving to smarter energy grids and renewable technologies — systems that make clean energy more reliable and accessible.

“My goal is a future where being able to see a clear view of the mountains isn’t just good luck,” Jason said. “It’s up to us. It’s the result of the clean energy choices we make every day.”

For more information on Edison International’s commitment to giving back, visit edison.com/community.