It’s a terrible feeling when your car breaks down. And Herndon resident Elizabeth Mulenga experienced that firsthand. Her Nissan Rogue started jerking as she was driving in Chantilly on the morning of Sunday, April 13. “I was scared because I didn’t know what was going on,” says Mulenga. She pulled over at the intersection of Point Pleasant Drive and Majestic Lane.
But this tale has a happy — and unexpected — ending. Enter Chantilly Academy senior Om Desai, 17. He was driving to see his grandparents when he noticed Mulenga’s car pull over with hazard lights flashing. Initially passing by, he did a quick double-take in his rearview mirror, then turned around.
“I thought, let me make sure everything is okay, at least make sure she wasn’t having a medical emergency,” he says. “I turned around, pulled down my window, and asked her if everything was okay. She said, ‘I don’t know what happened; my car just started shaking and I don’t feel comfortable driving it.’”
Chantilly Academy Training in Action
Desai, who studies auto collision and auto technology at Chantilly Academy, asked her to try to start the car as he observed. As she turned the key, he recognized that a cylinder was misfiring.
“I immediately knew what happened, but I just didn’t know what cylinder it was,” he says.
Luckily, his teacher had taught some diagnostic tricks in class which helped him confirm a cylinder four misfire.
“I started doing other things, some shortcuts he taught us without machinery,” says Desai. He knew how to diagnose the issue, so he left Mulenga to go borrow a tool from a nearby relative.
“I was amazed that the tool only confirmed what he had already figured out himself,” Mulenga said in an email to the school. “He educated me on what an ignition misfire was. I didn’t even know that term.”
‘We Need More Young Men Like Him’
With the issue determined, Mulenga asked Desai if he could fix it. “I said yeah, sure,” says the Chantilly teen.
Hours later, when the car was repaired, Mulenga tried to pay the teen for his help, but he refused any money for his labor. She was overwhelmed with gratitude.
“His parents have done an amazing job,” she says. “He’s very polite, very intelligent and just a good human being. We need more young men like him.”
The incident illustrates the practical, real-world skills being taught in Fairfax County Public Schools. Auto technology teacher Samuel Little says he wasn’t surprised by Desai’s actions. “He went above and beyond the call of duty. He even paid for the parts out of his own pocket, then put the parts in and fixed the car,” Little says.
Desai bought the necessary part for around $40 and installed it for free. At an auto shop or dealership, Little says, “It’s probably a $300 to $400 repair.”
Putting Skills to Good Use
Desai, who hopes to become a medical doctor and will attend Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall, was happy to put his classroom knowledge to the test.
“I felt really fulfilled that day,” he says. “It felt good that I was able to put my skills to use. And I really felt thankful to all my teachers — Mr. Little and my class in general — for all the hands-on learning we’ve gotten.”
Mulenga wrote a letter to Desai’s school to inform his teachers of his angelic help. “I wanted to let his school know how grateful I was and to highlight his excellence, and tell them that their program is working because it’s not only impacting the students, but it’s impacting lives beyond the classroom,” she says. “I was blessed to be a recipient of his kindness and all that he learned in the program. He really made my day.”
Feature image by Karen Bolt/FCPS
