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STEM Inspires: FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Coordinator & Robotics Mentor in Rwanda

September 2023 - March 2024

Before heading to Georgia Tech in the fall of 2024, I am taking a gap year to volunteer with STEM Inspires, an amazing non-profit which introduces robotics and STEM education to middle and high school students in Rwanda. My primary responsibility is to launch Rwanda’s first 10 FTC (highschool robotics) teams in the country and I have been arranging donations for parts and materials, creating teaching materials to give to the teams, and directly mentoring students. My work with STEM Inspires will culminate in organizing and running Rwanda’s FIRST LEGO League (FLL) national championship in March where the new FTC teams will also compete in a showcase to help gain support for continued expansion of FTC in Rwanda for years to come. Ongoing updates will be posted on my blog, Robotics & STEM Outreach in Rwanda

FIRST Global Challenge:  Coach, Team United States of America

June - October 2023

I was selected to be one of the two coaches of Team United States of America to help them prepare for and then compete at the 2023 FIRST Global Challenge in Singapore. As the technical coach, my responsibilities included organizing and running practices over the summer, mentoring the kids to guide their technical development, and then traveling to and leading them through the 5-day international competition in October.

E-Space:  Engineering Intern

May - August 2023

I worked on designing, building, and programming a prototype of a mechanism that will be a part of a satellite. The goal of this prototype was to collect data to make informed design decisions about the mechanism, and to serve as a proof-of-concept. In June, I presented my design to a team from NASA.

FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) — Team Captain & Mechanical Lead, WOLFPACK MACHINA (#18438)

2022-23 Season, Power Play
2021-22 Season, Freight Frenzy
2020-21 Season, Ultimate Goal

My responsibilities included mechanical lead, CAD/design, programming, creating robotic competition & promotional videos, creating our team’s website, and general team organization regarding our mission to build and spread a vibrant self-sustained STEM ecosystem in our immediate and greater community.

Key Achievements

• 2022/23 — Inspire Award Winner at the FTC World Championship (highest award given) which included an invitation to represent the United States at the 2023 FIRST Global Challenge in Singapore!
• 2022/23 —#1 OPR (metric to determine overall robot performance) at the World Championship
• 2022/23 —Ochoa Division Champions at the FTC World Championship, finishing as the top robot in competition in one of the 4 divisions
• 2022/23 — Inspire Award Winner at Chesapeake Championship (highest award given) which advances us to the FTC World Championships in April.
• 2022/23 — Our team raised $232,000 in cash and in-kind donations to support underserved areas, most of which was used to start 35 new FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams in Rwanda and 5 new teams in Everett, MA
• 2021/22 — Division Finalist Alliance Captain at FTC World Championship in Houston finishing top four robot in the world!
• 2021/22 — Inspire Award Winner at MA State Championship (highest award given)
• 2021/22 — Our team logged more than 1400 hours on outreach and organized or attended 100+ outreach events which included mentoring multiple FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams and teaching a robotics class to a local elementary school
• 2020/21 — World record score as a first-year team and qualified for FTC Worlds (canceled due to COVID)
• 2020 — After aging out of a very successful FIRST LEGO League (FLL) program (the Waring Brickwolves) that included 2 state championships and a world record score (I was a team captain and the lead mechanical), I helped establish the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) program at our school

Computer-aided Design (CAD) & Coding Camps for FLL/FTC — Camp Supervisor, Teacher & Curriculum Developer

Waring School | Summer 2023
Waring School | Summer 2022 
Waring School | Summer 2021

In 2021, I helped establish the new FLL/FTC CAD & Coding summer camps offered at my school to share FIRST robotic programs with both our local and greater community. I developed the curriculum for 2 weeks of CAD camp, 3 weeks of Java camp, 1 week of FLL camp, and taught all 6 weeks. In 2022, I further developed the curriculum and taught the two weeks of FTC CAD camp. In 2023, I further developed the curriculum, taught all weeks of CAD and code camps, and was hired to be the overall camp supervisor.

Key Achievements

• 2023 — Promoted to CAD & Coding camp supervisor
• 2022 — Welcomed our first international student to our FTC CAD camp!
• 2021 — After our summer CAD & Coding camps, 94% of our students joined FIRST teams
• 2021 — Started a new JV FTC team at our school, #18224 Lupine Robotics
• 2021 — Re-established our school’s FLL program since our team had all moved up to FTC

Boston Tech Initiative (BTI) — Intern

Summer 2022

I created a library of mechanical tutorial videos to teach people who are new to robotics all of the things I wish I had known when starting out. I worked with a partner to write tutorial scripts and film the videos, and then I edited and produced the videos to be posted online.

I also collaborated with other interns at BTI to organize and staff an off-season FIRST Tech Challenge competition with the goal that this event would be the inaugural event of its kind in the Boston area. My specific roles on this project were volunteer coordination, activity planning, and Co-Head referee.