Ray

Link to BLUE ALLIANCE.

As a high school freshman, I spent the season gaining experience on the mechanical subteam. I built a couple of prototypes and learned how electronics interfaced with the physical world thorugh motors.

I also got the opportunity to work on the competition robot (which is rare as a freshman). It wasn’t much, but I helped assemble the drive train. Here, I learned about how our programming team used the input from physical rotary encorders to determine how fast our robot was traveling.

Prototypes were made using wood and Vex motors.

The main challenges I experienced around this time were juggling all my commitments while still making meaningful contributions. In addition to robotics, I was also competing in Science Bowl, Texas State Math League, and Science Fair. I managed this by making use of every minute I got. During lunch and between classes, I would work on assignments and make sure that I planned what I was going to work on when.