This essay is one of 35 selected by a panel of judges for “Ambitions Interrupted,” a series from The GroundTruth Project and YouthVoices, its storytelling platform.
Name: Ajay Levantino
Age: 22
Dream job: Hybrid street lights engineer
City, Country: Quezon City, Philippines
Current job/school: Student at the Technological Institute of the Philippines-Manila
Challenge: Lack of financial resources and government support
My dream job is to help my fellow Filipino people in rural areas by meeting their electrical needs. I want to develop hybrid, smart street lights using renewable sources of solar energy, wind energy and thermoelectric conversion. To save energy, these lights would have wireless sensors so that they only turn on when they detect the presence of a person, animal or car.
This will help people in some remote barangays (villages) who have no power lines and are only using diesel generators to power their homes. There are many remote towns and roads in our country with no street lights. This can endanger the lives of drivers, travelers and people trying to cross the streets.
Also, accidents can happen when drivers are being blinded by the high-beam lights from the other car in the opposite lane. I want to address this electricity poverty in some of our roads through my street lights. The main challenge that is before me is the lack of funding.
I can design a proof of concept, but I lack the financial resources necessary to really build and install them. Secondly, I need a team to help me. Then I will need the support of the government to be able to deploy my street lights. Through my grit and determination, I know I can overcome these challenges and fulfill this dream.
This story was originally submitted to YouthVoices, a platform powered by The GroundTruth Project that encourages young people to share stories about the issues affecting their generation. Submit your own essays and answer new questions here, or learn more about global youth unemployment with this interactive map.