Mason Shackleford

From the moment he stepped foot on Georgia Tech’s campus, senior Mason Shackleford’s college search got infinitely easier.

“I wanted to leave Austin and live in a new place,” Shackleford said. “When I toured Georgia Tech, I really liked the beautiful green spaces and modern buildings.”

The school’s appeal didn’t stop at a picture-perfect campus though. It’s also home to the second-best undergraduate mechanical engineering program in the country.

Although he always had a feeling he’d find a place in the engineering field, Shackleford officially decided to focus on mechanical engineering after starting a long-term project repairing a car engine.

“I read a book about how things work and decided to rebuild an engine in an attempt to understand it,” Shackleford said.

He decided to fix up the engine of a 1986 Toyota MR2. Going into the project with no prior experience, he’s been working on it now for a year and a half.

The enjoyment he found in this experience only solidified his desire to go to Georgia Tech, where they have an EcoCar team.

“An EcoCar team is a team that alters a 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ to make it as energy-efficient and user friendly as possible,” Shackleford said. “It’s then compared to 14 other schools’ cars in a competition.”

The program appealed to Shackleford on multiple levels; not only does it offer him the chance to continue his work with cars, but he can also learn how to work in an eco-friendly fashion.

“I would like to study mechanical engineering with the environment in mind,” he said. “I think that future machines should not only benefit people but our environment as well.”

Although he’s got a lot to look forward to, Shackleford will still miss being at Mac, specifically the comfort and community found in the Fine Arts Academy.

“Everyone is always so nice;” he said. “It’s always inspiring to see so many people with so much devotion and motivation doing amazing things.”

Caption by Lydia Reedy. Photo courtesy of Shackleford.

Orchestra (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th) Section leader (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th) and head stage manager (11th, 12th), Score of 1 (Highest) at String Orchestra UIL Competition (9th, 11th) 

Score of 1 (Highest), atFull Orchestra UIL Competition (10th), Ranked 10 at Honor Orchestra State Competition (10th), TMEA Convention Region Orchestra (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th), Area Orchestra  (9th, 10th, 11th, Score of 1 (Highest) at Regional Solo and Ensemble Competition    (9th, 10th, 11th, Score of 1 (Highest) at State Solo and Ensemble Competition  (9th, 11th), Outstanding Performer (11th), Service award (9th, 12th)

Visual Arts (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th), Visual Arts Scholastic Event Awards: Score of 4 (Highest Score), Regional Competition (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th) Made state (12th)

Scholastic Art & Writing Competition Awards  Silver Key (Second Highest Award for Painting   (10th), Silver Key (Second Highest Award) for Sculpture (11th), Gold Key (Highest Award) and Honorable Mention (Third Highest Award) for Sculptures (12th)

National Honor Society (11th, 12th), Officer (12th)

Fine Arts Academy Ambassadors (12th), Orchestra Ambassador (12th)

Disney Cabaret (9th)