Members of the Young Alumni Council are excited to highlight young alumni who embody the Darlington mission and motto through a series of Darlington Connects blogs. Today's featured young alumnus is Lawson Sumner ('16), who graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2020 and serves as chief engineer for Ampere EV. We hope you enjoy getting to know these young alums who have chosen to "learn with passion, act with integrity, and serve with respect."
Were you a day or boarding student?
Day
Where are you located?
Gainesville, Ga.
Where do you work, and what is your title?
Chief engineer at Ampere EV
Tell us how you got to this point.
Oh man, this is a loaded question! The single guiding principle that has gotten me this far is pursuing what I enjoy and pushing the limits of what I think I can do. There have been countless steps and missteps along the way, and an enormous number of people and resources are to thank for helping me with each of those.
Why did you choose this path?
Choosing engineering was, for me, an obvious path to take. Tinkering with cars, electronics, really anything with a mechanical system was something I enjoyed. The fact that one of the best engineering schools in the country was just a couple hours away in Atlanta certainly made that an easy target destination after Darlington as well.
Co-founding a startup as I graduated from Georgia Tech was not an easy decision, but I chose to do it because I wanted to see what could be achieved if I tried something challenging despite the risks.
What's your favorite thing about what you do?
Solving problems. Each day is something new, but whether it is technical, business, or customer-facing, I enjoy creating a solution and seeing the fruit of that effort.
What makes you passionate about this?
Cars have always been something I am passionate about. One of the best things about my job now is that I am able to take the skills I've learned for engineering and apply them to the hobby I have enjoyed and help others do the same.
What are some difficulties that you face but still make everything worth it?
True for nearly every startup founder, the time commitment is well over your standard 40-hour-per-week job. But I love what I do, and the hours I spend doing it always feel like they are making an impact. While it is, at times, very difficult, it is also rewarding!
Recent accomplishment, achievement, service project, promotion, or recognition?
I was chosen for Forbes 2025 30 Under 30 in Transportation and Mobility.
How do you feel you exemplify Darlington's mission or motto?
I feel I best exemplify the Learn With Passion portion of Darlington's mission. Learning isn't something that stops when you leave school, and I have found that learning in the areas I am passionate about has given me some incredible experiences.
What advice, now, would you give to your younger self when you were at Darlington?
I would tell my younger self to get involved in the DarBots earlier. I did this as an elective my senior year, but I enjoyed it a ton and wish I had spent some more time doing the program. The makerspace with Mr. Kinney was great!
Advice for anyone wanting to follow your paw prints?
Find a career path you enjoy and are willing to work hard at. No path will always be easy or fun, but if you get satisfaction from what you do you will persevere through that.
How can current students or other alumni connect with you?
Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Email
Lawson is happy to connect with anyone in the Darlington Community who would like to know more about his career in engineering. If you know of someone or you would like to be featured please contact us at connect@darlingtonschool.org.
