
Jake Carlson, 21, relaxes at Schlitterbahn Waterpark on his day off from his internship with Western Forms Inc. in Kansas City, Kan.
He dreams big, really big, and fast too. Jake Carlson, 21, dreams of designing and creating his own theme park.
Carlson majors in construction engineering technology at Pittsburg State University, but his eyes are set on designing roller coasters.
“My dream job would be to design roller coasters because that is so different than office buildings, hospitals, and airports,” said Carlson.

Located on the Lake Erie shore, Cedar Point is Carlson’s ideal theme park because of the amount of roller coasters, the layout of the park by the lake, and there’s always plenty to do.
According to Carlson, the ideal theme park is Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio because of the amount of roller coasters, the layout of the park by the lake and there is always plenty to do.
According to Cedar Point’s website, it is known as the “roller coaster capital of the world.”
Cedar Point introduced its first roller coaster in 1892. The Switchback Railway soared 25 feet and reached a top speed of 10 mph. This first coaster is quite different from today’s coasters and Carlson’s favorites: Millenium Force and Top Thrill Dragster.
Millenium Force’s two minute ride takes its passengers 310 feet in the air, drops 80 degrees and reaches 93 mph before letting allowing passengers a chance to catch their breath.
“Millenium Force is so cool because it is so close to the water and you are overlooking all of the trees in the park,” said Carlson.
Meanwhile, Top Thrill Dragster, also known as the “Race for the Sky,” provides an even faster experience. According to Cedar Point’s website, the Top Thrill Dragster goes from “Zero to 120 mph in less than four seconds.” This roller coaster also takes its passengers higher at 420 feet, but the ride only lasts 17 seconds. Top Thrill Dragster
When Carlson is not dreaming of roller coasters or relaxing at Schlitterbahn Waterpark, he interns at Western Forms Inc., a leading U.S. manufacturer of aluminum formwork systems company, headquarted in Kansas City. He uses Inventor and Autocad software programs to design aluminum concrete forms for construction projects in Central and South America and the middle East.
“Taking something from paper to seeing the final product provides great satisfaction,” said Carlson.
One of his recent projects also provided him great satisfaction as well. In February, he and five of his fellow classmates placed 10th out of 36 teams for their residential subdivision project proposal and presentation at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla.

Jake Carlson, bottom left, and his classmates placed 10th out of 36 teams for their residential subdivision project proposal and presentation at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla. this year.
As engineers, their task was to create a business plan, research the best type of residential subdivision for a 22 acre tract of land, and then, create a 150 page booklet detailing their project proposal. Then, at the show, they were to present their proposal to a panel of judges, who posed as potential investors for the projects.
To the public eye, Carlson may seem like another college student spending his summer days at Schlitterbahn Waterpark, but listening to his story provides a glimpse into the hope of the future where roller coasters are bigger and faster.
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