Corey’s first introduction to Monumental Impact was at our booth at a July 4th event four years ago, and when we, in collaboration with D38’s Bearbotics, reached out to his school, Bear Creek Elementary School, to start a FLL (FIRST LEGO League) team. Though he couldn’t join the makerspace quite yet — he was too young at the time — Monumental Impact was in the back of his mind as he grew older. Until eventually, he was able to join our robotics program when he entered high school.
Now, Corey serves as the FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) Captain of the Bionic Sharks. He manages the team along with organizing events, outreach initiatives, and, of course, building and programming robots for FTC competitions.
LEGO and Python and Java…
Corey’s first introduction to robotics was his elementary school’s FLL program. He got his first taste of what competitive robotics was all about. Corey and his team even won a qualifier, which gave them a Golden Ticket to the State Championship! From then on, he was hooked.
You might be asking yourself, “What is competitive robotics?” Put simply, teams work together to build a robot to do certain gamified tasks and present their journey. The task that needs to be accomplished depends on the competition and season — it’s always changing, which is part of the fun!
“I like seeing progress building up and working through obstacles to get everything together.”
Throughout elementary, middle, and now high school, Corey has gained more experience in building and programming. In 6th grade, he learned Python and began exploring other programming languages. He’s now going into his 3rd year competing in the FTC program. The reason he’s stuck with competitive robotics and programming for so long? He enjoys driving the robots he’s helped create and seeing how things work.
Competing with Monumental Impact
While competing with Monumental Impact’s team in the FTC wasn’t his first foray into competitive robotics, Corey has learned more about what goes into building a robot, leading a team, and programming (specifically JAVA) during his time here.
With access to the tools in our makerspace, along with mentors to help guide him and the team, Corey was more easily able to build the competitive robot he and the team wanted to. His favorite project so far involves Sharkbyte, a robot he helped develop that made it to the Colorado State FTC Championship last year (it even went undefeated against several opponents)!
Corey is also involved in a new competition the Monumental Impact community is launching with others in the Colorado Frontage called the Open Robotics Competition (ORC). He sees this new game and robot format as a great learning opportunity — for himself and his new recruits to the Bionic Sharks.
Beyond robotics, Corey is also learning key skills for his future: leadership, management, communication, planning and organizing, even fundraising! Through his efforts, Corey makes sure his team is the best it can be. He hopes that more people join the program and experience everything competitive robotics, and Monumental Impact, has to offer. Because it’s not just about developing cool technology, it’s an opportunity to grow as a person.
“It is not just building the robots and competing, it includes many skills like working with a team and creating something that is functionally [competitive].”
To the future
Ultimately, Corey is striving towards a future in computer science. He hopes to keep working in robotics and learn more about how artificial intelligence can improve his builds. He also hopes to get more of the younger generations interested in STEM and competitive robotics. More importantly, it’s FUN. As Corey so aptly put it: “Having a hobby and taking some time where you can do your own thing and not stress about life is very important.”
To that end, Corey is preparing for the next FTC season, BioBuzz, with its Game Reveal in early September. He’s currently leading fundraising and recruitment efforts to help keep the team going. This includes planning scrimmages and demonstrations with other teams.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in, Corey is also helping out at our booth at that same July 4th event he found Monumental Impact at all those years ago. You’ll be able to see a demonstration with a robot and learn more about FTC, ORC, and Monumental Impact.
Or contact us and let us know you’re interested!
