Jessica Power, Artsci’08, an administrative coordinator for Queen’s School of Business, lives up to her surname, both at work and at play. When in the office, she provides support to students of the Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) program, keeping track of assignments and exams, and taking each student through the registration process. On the weekend, she heads for the racetrack and competes in race car driving.
Jessica discovered her passion by accident when a friend invited her and her parents to Brighton Speedway 10 years ago.
“I went a couple times more and I was hooked. My dad said, okay, let’s build you a car,” she explains.
As owner of Speedy Auto in Kingston, Chris Power was able to fashion his daughter’s first race car – a stripped down Acura Integra, with a protective roll cage. Jessica was off to the races!
She now drives a sportsman modified Bicknell and races in the Rookie/4 Cylinder and Sportsman Division. She has won three feature races and multiple heats—success that seems to have fuelled her ambition.
“It’s a bit of an addiction for me now,” she says, smiling.
Having already picked up her first win of the season at Brockville Speedway, Jessica followed that with two top five finishes this past week at Mohawk International Raceway and Brockville Speedway. As the summer progresses, she’ll spend her weekends on racetracks across Ontario, from Niagara Falls to Cornwall, and down into Syracuse, New York.
Darren McCaugherty, Program Services Director at the School of Business, thinks Jessica has been a wonderful addition to the Executive MBA programs office since she started in 2011.
“When I learned that her pastime was stock car racing I knew that I had a special person working for us,” he says. “My family has been involved with stock racing for years in the surrounding area and so I knew the type of character that Jessica needs to be able to manage within a typically male-dominated sport. She has been successful in our office and on the track and we’re lucky to work with such a unique individual. Having a name that contains the word power certainly says a lot!”
