the builder
I LEARN BEST WHEN I CAN TURN AN IDEA INTO SOMETHING I CAN TEST
Engineering gives me a chance to keep asking questions. I like figuring out how things work, what went wrong, and what I can try next.
Robotics is where I get to turn those questions into something real.
Whether I am working on my own, helping someone else, or competing with a team, I enjoy building, testing, fixing problems, and trying again.
independent initiative
USSEO Engineering Challenge
United States Science & Engineering Olympiad
Robotics had become something I wanted to explore beyond my regular school classes, so I asked our Technology Director, Mrs. Dubinsky, if I could enter the USSEO Engineering Challenge. I formed a team and led our Youth Challenge project.
Just before we were ready to submit, I found out that I was three months too old for the Youth Challenge.
I was disappointed, but I did not want to stop there. I decided to take on the harder Senior Challenge instead.
Since there was no robotics class in the spring, I asked if I could use workspace and robotics kits during my free time. Mrs. Dubinsky worked with the academic dean’s office to help make that possible.
I had much less time and the challenge was harder, but I kept building, testing, and making changes until I submitted my project by the deadline.
I learned that taking initiative is not just about starting something. It is also about finding a way to keep going when the plan changes.
LEARNING BY TEACHING
EXPLAINING SOMETHING HELPS ME LEARN IT BETTER.
This fall, I am serving as a Robotics Teaching Assistant in Rectory’s robotics class. I help other students with building, programming, and troubleshooting.
Helping someone else solve a problem is different from solving it myself. I have to slow down, explain what I am thinking, and sometimes find a different way to explain the same idea.
I have noticed that when I can explain something clearly to another student, I usually understand it better too.
ROBOTICS TEACHING ASSISTANT (TA)
BUILDING THROUGH ITERATION
VEX ROBOTICS
BUILD. TEST. COMPETE. REPEAT.
VEX Robotics showed me how much difference a small design change can make.
As both a builder and a driver, I learned to test ideas during competitions, notice what was not working, and make changes before trying again.
I modified a Clawbot Elevation design with a custom pulley and winch system and programmed distance sensors for autonomous movement.
Every change created another problem to solve, but it also gave me another chance to make the robot work better.
custom pulley & winch
Modified the Clawbot Elevation design with a custom lifting mechanism.
AUTONOMOUS SENSING
Programmed distance sensors for autonomous movement.
COMPETITION EXPERIENCE
Participated as both a builder and a driver, testing and adjusting the robot under competition pressure.
COMPUTATIONAL THINKING
COMPUTER SCIENCE ENGINEERING
FROM PROBLEMS TO LOGIC TO CODE.
In Computer Science Engineering, I am learning that coding starts with understanding the problem first.
We use flowcharts to break a problem into smaller steps, then turn that logic into Python code and test it on the computer.
I am learning that writing code is only one part of programming. Figuring out what the program needs to do comes first.
WHAT ENGINEERING TAUGHT ME
I DON’T EXPECT THINGS TO WORK THE FIRST TIME.
Engineering has taught me that I do not need to know every answer before I start.
Sometimes a design does not work. Sometimes the code does something I did not expect. Sometimes the whole plan changes.
I have learned to keep asking questions, make changes, and try again. That is probably the part of engineering I enjoy the most.