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You could say Ava Viola ‘23 was destined to be a “car nut.”
“When other families watched football on Sundays, we were at the racetrack,” the Sherman resident said. “It became a passion of mine.” Now, the recent Immaculate High School graduate will be attending the only school in the United States that offers motorsports engineering as a major – Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis.
Yes, that’s not far from where IndyCar racing is headquartered - and it’s her dream to intern there and then work for Formula 1 Racing someday.
Viola’s father owns a racing company and since she was a baby, the family often accompanied him on competitions. These days, this Mustang is officially part of his crew. “I do all the data on cars, make sure they’re running smoothly, plus make sure nobody is racing incorrectly and damaging the cars,” she said. “I also work with drivers to improve by studying the tracks and the correct driveline on them.” Viola will often instruct drivers to “go faster here, slower here, stay inside or outside the track in this specific place” – all to improve their drive times.
She will embark on a five-year dual program in the fall, in both motorsports engineering and mechanical engineering and will graduate with a double bachelor’s degree. Viola credits her engineering classes at Immaculate for preparing her well, her college counselor for supporting her passion and her teachers for being so accommodating with her demanding schedule.
Last school year, Viola did an internship at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT and this year she worked for her father’s race team traveling to Texas, Upstate New York and Florida doing data mapping on all the cars. “I would come back and tell my friends stories about my trips,” she said. “My favorite were the guys’ reactions. A lot of them said ‘Woah, that’s really cool!’”
Viola may be the first Immaculate graduate to pursue such a degree – and she was part of Immaculate's 60th Anniversary graduating class. Immaculate has been providing a rigorous Catholic prep school education to 28 communities in New York and Connecticut since 1962. The school was ranked by Niche as the #1 Co-Ed Catholic Day School in Connecticut for the second year in a row. Of the 91 members of the Class of 2023, 100% of students who applied to colleges and universities were accepted and were awarded scholarships and grants totaling $23.6 million. The top 10 percent of students achieved an SAT score average of 1398.
But, according to graduate Cole Ross of Brookfield – who was Immaculate’s Student of the Year – it’s the community that truly makes Immaculate special. “I believe that the spirit of Immaculate is rooted in the values of respect, reverence and responsibility – three traits that I hope I will always carry with me,” Ross said.
In addition to serving as editor of the yearbook and running on the school’s Track and Cross Country Teams, Ross also ran the social media for Immaculate’s student fan section, “The Stable.” He took Graphic Design as an elective on a fluke as a freshman and four years later is headed to Syracuse University to major in the subject. Ross said he may end up working in the sports media field.
“Personally, design has become a lifestyle and a distinct focus in a world that is noisy. Design is now my form of expression,” he said, crediting the school's graphic design teachers for fueling his passion. “It is my own language without words, my own voice without sound.”
Keelin Bremner of Redding found her calling too - and is part of Immaculate’s Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Program’s graduating class. There is nothing like real life practice when it comes to the medical field, and that’s what students get right in the classroom. Bremner will be studying nursing at Providence College in the fall.
“There have been many ways that Immaculate has prepared me for college and helped to define my path,” Bremner said. “From public speaking opportunities, to the Certified Nursing Assistant Program and running on the Track and Cross Country Teams, I have discovered my passions and feel fully prepared for college.”
But, without a doubt, Aiden Doolabh of Danbury wins the award for studying the farthest away. He will be headed halfway around the globe to Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, where he will focus on international law and business.
“I chose to study abroad because I want to become an international lawyer and getting experience in another country will help prepare me for the cultural exchange and understanding which I will need in that profession,” Doolabh said. “My counselor at Immaculate, Mr. Michael DiGennaro, was the primary guiding factor in helping me go international as he was always helping me with applications as well as reaching out to me with any information or opportunities he discovered.”
That doesn’t surprise Dean of Counseling and Student Services Timothy Nash, who credits Immaculates low student-counselor ratio for helping students attend the college or university of their choice. “Students work with the same counselor from the moment they walk in our door, and our college prep starts on day one,” said Nash. “Our goal is to help each student achieve their own personal success – and dream big.”
That’s exactly what racing enthusiast Ava Viola is doing. Would she want to move from behind the scenes to behind the wheel like famous former IndyCar driver Danica Patrick? “Yes, one hundred percent,” she said without missing a beat. “I want to race!”
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