Kenneth R. Vessey Jr. Robotics Scholarship

FRC Robotics has been one of the most influential experiences in my high school career. Through the years. I have been searching for something that truly sparked a passion to learn and a desire to create. I explored different interests—working backstage at school events, recording and editing videos, experimenting with photography, and serving my community through the volunteer fire department. All of those activities taught me valuable skills, but only two things connected with me, the volunteer fire department juniors and Robotics. I first joined the Robocats club after a recommendation from my physics teacher. I didn’t know what I was getting into, after attending my first robotics tournament, something clicked. Getting to see and be apart of the team watching the robot come to life and seeing the disaster of problem-solving and creativity which was put into the robot highlighted the type of engineering that was meant for me. I realized that building and wiring circuits wasn’t just a hobby, it was the foundation of a job that could help me find my path in life Working with circuits and wires has always felt familiar to me. Since, My father’s side work as an electrician gave me exposure to the basics when I was young, but Robotics helped me understand the true potential of electrical engineering. Designing bots that move, perform tasks, and need no human input (excluding the coding) painted the picture for how technology can shape the world. I saw how engineering isn’t just about machines—it’s about people. The innovations that come from this field can improve everyday life, strengthen safety and defense systems, and solve problems that once seemed impossible. My family is chalked full of volunteer fire fighters and with a degree in electrical engineering I know can find a way to make their lives and jobs easier so that fires become a problem that doesn't even make the front pages anymore. In fact just yesterday November 5, 2025 five members of the FDNY were injuries due to a car exploding. With robots and electronics we can reduce the needs for firefighters to get so dangerously close or to create warning systems, or a million other solutions . WHich is the benefit of being an engineer there are many solutions to a problem you just have to find the best most cost efficient and most dummy-proof model. Being part of the Robotics team showed me the power of teamwork, collaboration, resilience, and most of how to fix problems with limited resources and time. Every successful test reminded me of why I wanted to pursue this path. FRC Robotics was more than just an after-school club—it was a life-changing experience that revealed my purpose. It gave me a vision for my future: to become an electrical engineer who creates technologies that make life safer, easier, and more connected for everyone. FRC Robotics is an amazing program with so much potential to change the world, robots could take many dangerous jobs that no one is interested in and with so many brilliant young minds being brought together it's easy to see how we are merely on the frontier of these technologies which have the capabilities to change the world as we know and perhaps if we are motivated enough in our lifetime, the ability to give us new worlds to explore.