An Independence High junior is using skills he developed in WCS classrooms to make a difference.
After being diagnosed with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Junaid Jamal, who goes by JJ, was recommended for equine therapy. While the recommendation provided him with the help he needed, he discovered a problem.
“When I first started riding horses, I was having trouble keeping my heels down,” JJ said. “I thought of all the other children who have mobility challenges and decided to design my own stirrup.”
Featuring an adjustable heel rest and a joint that releases under pressure, JJ’s design helps prevent riders from being dragged if they fall.
JJ credits skills and principles he learned through the Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) Mentorship Program. Courses taught by Franklin High teacher Shane McNeill and Independence High teacher Lisa Richter have also been instrumental in his success.
“I applied the engineering design process to develop it,” he said. “SketchUp was the program I used to model and 3D print.”
The design has earned JJ the honor of Southeast Regional Winner of the 2026 National High School Design Competition hosted by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
In honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary, competitors were prompted to identify a meaningful design from the past and propose a design of their own that contributes to the future.
“I wanted to incorporate this stirrup with the competition’s prompt for America’s 250th anniversary,” he said. “Horses have always been an integral part of America’s history.”
JJ is currently gaining experience building residential houses through his internship with a Nashville-based architecture firm. He plans to pursue a career in commercial architecture after high school.
“I think identifying problems is the easiest part,” he said. “If you look for problems in the world, it helps you gain a different perspective and see how much potential there is for solutions.”
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