Naman Kabra receives Distinguished Leadership Award

Naman Kabra, undergraduate student in Electrical Engineering, received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the College of Engineering. This award recognizes outstanding leadership and service to the College, University, and community.

Kabra has been a leader in the University of Michigan Solar Car Team and the IEEE Student Branch, while strengthening his research skills as a research assistant in the Applied Optoelectronics and Photonics Lab (AOPL), and as an energy management intern in the Office of Campus Sustainability.

Kabra joined the Solar Car Team in 2023 as a microsystems engineer, and quickly transitioned to array engineer. He was honored to be a Race Electrical Engineer leading up to the 2024 American Solar Challenge, where he not only got behind the wheel, he worked on the Battery Management System, installed solar cells, and much more. As a driver during the 2024 race, his leadership skills were kicked into high gear when the car flipped and he found himself hanging upside down amidst shattered glass. He had the presence of mind to quickly mobilize the team to get the car in running condition again.

“My job was to set the tone: calm, focused, determined,” said Kabra. “We worked endlessly through the nights, and when we finally got the car back on track, it wasn’t just a car we’d restored – it was our confidence as a team.”

The team came in first place.

He then stepped up to become Business Director for the team. He had aspired to become Team Manager, but had to give up because his visa wouldn’t let him travel to Australia, which was the location for the 2025 World Solar Challenge – the team’s next race. Under his leadership, the Business Division secured $1.5M in funding while overseeing the team’s financial and partnership efforts.

“Leadership is rooted in selflessness, vision, and adaptability,” is what Kabra says learned during this experience.

Kabra has also taken on the role of Vice President of Finance for the IEEE Student Chapter, where he oversaw budgets, organized hands-on workshops, and partnered with companies. And as an intern with the Office of Campus Sustainability, he was able to help reduce energy consumption and operational costs by moving to LED lighting and understanding HVAC systems.

He has also served as a Teaching Assistant for ENTR 550 (Interpersonal Skills: Leveling Up to Leadership), where he focused on customer relations and navigating cross-cultural communication challenges.

Kabra hopes to start a company one day focused on sustainable technologies, such as affordable solar-powered microgrids and off-grid energy storage systems, to empower underserved communities. It is a personal goal born of his experiences growing up in Myanmar, where, he said, “frequent blackouts made electricity a luxury, and my experiences visiting rural villages where families often had to choose between food and light.”