Tnt Alumni Spotlight
John Merila
(Class of '18)
'Solid Teammate & Leader'
Mentor Memories
John is always there to do whatever is asked of him and more! He is ready to help and contribute solutions in a calm and thoughtful way He is a. Solid robotics teammate and leader!
Alison Booker
(Class of '16)
'Safety Queen!'
Mentor Memories
Ali had total control in and around the pit. She was a fantastic representative for our team and community and never lost her cool in competition. She laid the foundation for us to continue a safety program.
Brett Johnson
(Class of '14)
'Invaluable Experience'
Mentor Memories
He always wanted to pull the team toward the future. New technologies were no concern, it was just another challenge.
Austin Rittgers
(Class of '12)
'Incredible Work Ethic'
Mentor Memories
Austin never seemed to be rattled. He had an incredible work ethic and would see a situation and work diligently to get it done.
Brandon Mountjoy
(Class of '17)
'What A Driver!'
Mentor Memories
Brandon made us laugh with his quick witted sense of humor. It was a joy to watch him drive. When he was on, the robot was an extension of his hands and he could do amazing things with that robot! He always wanted to win and did not want to accept anything less.
Mckenzie Harris
(Class of '15)
'My Favorite Activity'
Mentor Memories
Mac was a true leader and competitor. When we were in a round I always had total confidence that Mac would perform and she could adapt and make strategic decisions that were good decisions.
Aaron Halik
(Class of '13)
'Drive it like you stole it!'
Mentor Memories
Aaron was never worried about what he couldn’t do. Many times I would think “Why is he doing that?” and it would work out.
Aaron’s stood out as a driver, he was one of the best at improvising during competition.
Logan Gooch
(Class of '11)
'Split Second Decisions'
Pathway through FIRST
My time in robotics was primarily spent between assisting in the build, drive, and helping at the regional competition. My leadership skills developed as I worked on the team, while we did our best to compete at a high level in spite of being a new program.
I currently serve as program director for Metigoshe Ministries. While I am not in a STEM career, there are many skills that I use on a daily basis that relate directly back to my time on Robotics. The first thing that comes to mind is communal problem solving. On a daily basis I am tasked with making split second decisions to come up with creative solutions to challenges that arise.
Pathway through FIRST
I enjoyed Mr. Uscola's classes a lot when I was in high school, so when I learned he was going to be running the robotics program I thought it would be a fun idea to join up. I was asked to test drive the robot along with a few of the other team members. After a trial run it was decided that I was the best at handling our little metal monster. I was made lead driver when we took it out for the competition.
Gerald thomas
(Class of '09)
'First Team Captain'
