the builder
I LEARN BEST WHEN I CAN TURN AN IDEA INTO SOMETHING I CAN TEST.
Engineering gives me a reason to keep asking questions. I like figuring out why something works, what went wrong, and what I can change next. Robotics has become the place where curiosity, patience, and problem solving come together for me.
Building the foundation
Strong ideas need strong fundamentals
I bring the same consistency to the classroom that I bring to engineering projects. Over time, I have learned that strong technical ideas also depend on strong communication.
Academic Distinction
3 × consecutive terms
92.50 →94.30
Three consecutive Academic Distinctions, with continued growth in my overall academic average.
Bigelow honors program
communication lab
public speaking · writing
Invited to Rectory’s Bigelow Honors Program, where I will strengthen my public speaking and writing skills through the Communications Lab.
independent initiative
when the plan changed, i kept going.
USSEO ENGINEERING CHALLENGE
I first planned to enter the USSEO Youth Challenge with a team. Just before submission, I learned that I was three months over the age cutoff. I was disappointed, but I did not want the work to stop there. I switched to the Senior Challenge and decided to keep going.
Rectory did not offer a spring robotics class, so I asked our Technology Director, Mrs. Dubinsky, if I could use a workspace and robotics kits. With that support, I kept testing, troubleshooting, and refining the project until I completed it on time.
What I remember most is that the original plan did not work, but the project did not have to end. I learned to look for another way forward.
THE TURNING POINT
YOUTH CHALLENGE → SENIOR CHALLENGE
Three months over the Youth Challenge age cutoff.
I switched categories and kept going.
TEST. ADJUST. IMPROVE
vex robotics
build. test. compete. repeat.
HARDWARE & ITERATION
VEX taught me that small design choices can make a big difference. As both a builder and driver, I learned to test ideas under real competition pressure, adjust what was not working, and keep improving.
I modified a Clawbot Elevation design with a custom pulley and winch system, and programmed distance sensors for autonomous movement. Each change gave me something new to test—and usually something else to improve.
custom pulley & winch
Modified the Clawbot Elevation design with a custom lifting mechanism.
AUTONOMOUS SENSING
Programmed distance sensors for autonomous movement.
COMPETITION EXPERIENCE
Builder + Driver
Tested, adjusted, and competed under real match pressure.
build. test. adapt. improve
What engineering taught me
Engineering taught me that a first attempt does not have to be perfect. What matters is paying attention, learning from what went wrong, and being willing to try again. That mindset has shaped the way I approach problems both in robotics and beyond.