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A young preschool student has some hot new wheels to cruise around on, thanks to Sandia Prep’s Engineering 4 Us All (e4usa) students.

The engineering students recently presented Shining Stars Preschool student Adriel Baldonado, 5, with a tricycle they designed and built especially to improve her mobility.

Adriel was born with a condition that affects her ability to walk, according to her mother, Iris Baldonado. “She can walk a little bit with the assistance of a walker or pulling herself,” she told KRQE-TV. “She’s in a wheelchair, and like the playground equipment sometimes might be a little bit hard to access for her.”

In March, the engineering students spent a couple of hours learning about students with special needs at the Rio Rancho preschool, meeting with occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, and the students.

E4usa is a dual credit course with the University of New Mexico. It’s a first-of-its kind, national initiative designed to introduce engineering design principles to a new generation of students, said course instructor Arren Buck. You can learn more about the program here. 

The Prep students then spent two months designing and building the adapted toy just for Adriel. She pedals the bright pink bike – her favorite color – with her hands. It even has a seat at the back for a friend to ride along.

Adriel’s reaction: “Pink is my favorite color. And I give it a big thumbs up,” she told KRQE.

Her mom agreed. “We had to hold back the tears because we were super excited just to see how excited she was,” Iris Baldonado said. “This bike, it means a great deal to us that she’s going to have the ability to ride the bike along with all the other children.”

Prep has partnered with Shining Stars Preschool for four years and plans to continue, Buck said.

The students who created the tricycle are: Dane Cameron ’24, Dane Gallegos ’23, Henry Hurley ’24, Teija Lynch ’24, Noah Reedy ‘’24, and Rigsby Taylor ’24.

You can watch KRQE's story here.