Car Raid

Vrinda Patel is a senior at Vandergrift High School. She is 18 years old as of May 14, 2016. Patel was born in Chicago, Illinois but moved to Texas at a young age.

Patel currently drives a 2013 Volkswagen Passat TSI and enjoys driving around the mid-size vehicle. “The car is perfect for me because I usually am only driving from my house to work and back home,” said Patel.

She received her car as a gift from her parents on her 17^th birthday. “My car quickly became my baby, and I named her Wanda the Wagon because my car is a Volkswagen,” Patel said.

The car Patel drives is silver on the inside and out, and she has added her own personal touches of purple to the inside of the car, as that is her favorite color. On her car’s rearview mirror hangs a dream catcher. “I have one dangling in my house, so I bought one for my car so no matter where I am I always have a part of my home with me,” said Patel.

Patel also drives with dark purple seat covers and steering wheel covers. They allow her to drive with comfort, because she has to drive a far distance from school to work.

Patel works at iQuest as a tutor to young children. She enjoys the challenge of going back to the basics and working to help the children build skills towards a brighter future.

Her hard work is reflected in her car through the notes she saves from children that she keeps in her glove compartment. “I’ve grown close to a few children, who always leave me notes to thank me for helping them,” said Patel.

Patel’s keys have a keychain from Chicago on them, as a reminder of her birthplace. She says that although she has lived in Texas longer than she has Illinois, Chicago has always felt more like home.

As Patel is now a senior and about to attend college next fall, she has a bumper sticker on the pack of her Passat to show the university that she will be attending, which is the University of Texas.