Alumni

Below is a list of many of our alumni and the colleges they went on to attend.

Class of 2024

Arjit Agarwal (University of Michigan)
Rudolph Aqeel (Michigan State University )
Harish Balamurgan
Yuan Chen (University of Michigan )
Josue Delgado
Florian Ilunga
Arthur Kim
Griffin Moore (Lehigh University)
John Price (Purdue University)
Tommy Radabaugh (Worchester Polytechnic Institute )
Janhavi Ramekar (Michigan State University)
Suvek Revankar (Michigan State University)

Class of 2023

Anya Avrutsky (University of Michigan)
Elizabeth Bailey (Michigan State University )
Hannah Fosnaugh (Oakland University)
Pravith Gouroji (Michigan State University)
Nalin Gupta (University of Michigan )
Kyle Keipper (University of Michigan)
Ojaswin Kolhatkar (University of Michigan)
Alex Muresan (University of Michigan)
Andrew Priskorn (Michigan Tech University)
Smayan Ranjan (University of Michigan)
Jake Spencer (Oakland University)
Kara Wong (University of Michigan)

Class of 2022

Delaney Allan (Grand Valley State University)
Bryce Benedetto ( )
Rosie Caldwell (Grand Valley State University)
Jack Honomichl (Case Western Reserve)
Sandhya Jagannathan ( )
Josie Kubiak (University of Michigan)
Amaan Lam (University of Detroit Mercy)
Mena Nasiri (University of Michigan)
Jackson Rhen (University of Michigan)
Dylan Wagner ( )
Alex Wang (University of Southern California)

Class of 2021

Robert Adams (University of Michigan)
Sanjay Bhuvaneswaran (Michigan State University)
Alexei Chen (University of Michigan)
Grant Clawson (University of Michigan)
Devin Conlon (University of Michigan)
Sam Desai (Purdue University)
Revaa Goyal (University of Rhode Island)
JP Guadarrama (Oakland University)
Ben Kim (Kettering University)
Seoyeon Koo (Michigan State Universitry)
Mikang Moon ( )
Joe Nahass (Kettering University)
Dylan Patel (The Ohio State University)
Lucy Radabaugh (Loyola of Chicago)
Gargi Ramekar (University of Michigan)
Cary Shu (University of Michigan)
Clay VanOphem (University of Michigan)
Cole VanOphem (Michigan State University)
Luke Waechter (University of Michigan)
Josh Wu (Michigan State University)
Shuwen Yu (Michigan State University)
Jessica Zhang (University of Michigan)
Andrew Zhao (University of Michigan)

Class of 2020

William Addison (University of Michigan)
Isabelle Allan (University of Michigan)
Seyon Elankumaran (University of Michigan)
Nathan Fazecas (Oakland University)
Marta Grabowski (Grand Valley State University)
Ethan Harpster (Michigan State University)
Leo Huang (University of Michigan)
Logan Jacobson (Michigan State University)
Marshall Janies (Michigan Technical University)
Yoshi Kawase (University of Michigan)
Emerson Kekhoua (University of Michigan)
Johnny Kim (University of Michigan)
Cindy Lee (University of Michigan)
Colin McKerracher (University of Michigan)
Michael Ngatio (Michigan State University)
Sam Ohlert ( )
Rajiv Parimi (University of Michigan)
Ethan Rylko (Michigan State University)
Debrini Sarkar (University of Michigan)
Ayaan Shaikh (University of Michigan)
Trevor Siwajek (Michigan State University)
Henri Tian (Michigan State University)
Jack Trueax (Penn State University)
Mathew Wu (Michigan State University)
Josh Zhang (University of Michigan)

Class of 2019

Ryan Chatterjee (Case Western Reserve University)
Ryan Doty (Michigan State University)
Ian Hartway (Wayne State University)
Devin Kent (Michigan Technological University)
Gabe Kubiak (Kettering University)
Amanda Purcell (Boston University)
Harry Skroch (Michigan Technological University)
Evan Sochanski (University of Michigan)
Alex Stoutermire (Western Michigan University)
Avanthika Sinha (Wayne State University)
Cate Sullivan (University of Michigan)
Jimena Torres Gómez (Grand Valley State University)

Class of 2018

Jack Bueltel (The Ohio State University) 
Michaela Fung (Michigan Tech)
Trinity Fung (University of Michigan)
Scott Guest (University of Michigan)
Anoushka Gulati  (University of Michigan)
Aliza King (Purdue University)
Jacob Lydick (University of Michigan, Flint)
Ben Person (Michigan State University)
Prateek Pinchi (University of Michigan)
Justin Schroeder (Grand Valley State University) 

Class of 2017

Nadya Barghouty (University of Michigan)
Ashley Del Rose (Michigan State University)
Sean Hennessee (University of Wisconsin)
Nina Janies (University of Michigan)
Alex Johnson ( )
Tony Montagna (Oakland University)
Megan Sochanski (Oakland University)
Keerthi Sreenivasan (Brown University)
Kathy Zhan (Northwestern University)

Class of 2016

Dylan Anthony (Kettering University)
Rowan Barry (Valparaiso)
Kathryn Cesiel (Kettering University)
McKinnon Hay (Lake Superior State University)
Erick Hicken (Michigan State University)
Robin Onsay (Michigan State University)
Pavan Patel (Michigan State University)
Vishnu Rengaraj (University of Michigan)
Justin Ripka (Kettering University)
Saniyah Shaikh (University of Pennsylvania)
Ana Torres (Alma University)
Brendan Treanore (Michigan Tech)
Jizhou Zhang (Oakland University)
Annie Zhao (University of Michigan)

Class of 2015

Class of 2014

Class of 2013

Margherita Bigossi (Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore Roma in Italy)
Ben Bray (University of Michigan)
Eric Celerin (Michigan Technological University)
Eric Hennessee (Oakland University)
Tanay Patel (Michigan Technological University)
Elizabeth Person (Allegheny College – Pennsylvania)
Jordan Phillips (Oakland University)
Steven Ploog (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Jonathan Zarger (University of Michigan)

Class of 2012

Ryan Cesiel (University of Michigan)
Kieran Cooper (Oakland Community College)
Becky Everson (University of Rochester, New York)
Matt Juriga (Ferris State University)
Ryan Rosenau (Kettering University)
Chris Santella (Marquette University)
Danielle Twarozynski (Oakland Community College)

Class of 2011

Emily Bolewitz (Penn State University)
Matt Brisson (University of Windsor)
Edna Chiang (University of Michigan)
Ian Cosgrove (Michigan Technological University)
Yutaka Iwasaki (Michigan State University)
Dean Keithly (Michigan Tech University)
Jerry Lin (University of Michigan)
Drew Markel (Michigan Technological University)
Sidd Menon (Oakland University)
Duy Mo (University of Michigan)
Alex Shultz (Oakland Community College)
Garret Sochanski (Oakland University)

Class of 2010

Eduardo Cerame (University of Michigan)
Mark Derry (Oakland Community College)
Chris Greene (Kettering University)
Lucas Mitchell (University of Michigan)   
John Watkins (Oakland University)
Jack Wink (University of Michigan)

Class of 2009

David Cesiel (University of Michigan)
James Lindsay (Arizona State University)
Quentin Sheets (Purdue – North Central)
Brett Garstick (Michigan State University)
Matt Li (Michigan State University)
Sean Losinski

Class of 2008

Anthony Curley (Michigan State University)
Bhajanpreet Kohli (University of Michigan)
Danielle Smith (Grand Valley State University)
Jonathan Immers (Kettering University)

Class of 2007

Patrick Pannuto (University of Michigan)
Braden Leinbach (Michigan State University)
Caitlyn Bolewitz (Grand Valley State University)
Kevin Kozlowski (University of Michigan)
Kevin Tom
Nolan Wyatt (Eastern Michigan University)
Patricia Schuster (University of Michigan /USC Berkeley)
Tanya Das (University of Michigan)
Kevin Schalte (University of Michigan)
Kevin Huang (University of Michigan)
Emily Thomas (University of Michigan)
Scott Theuerkauf (US Air Force Academy)
Scott Walls (University of Michigan)
Chris Park (University of Chicago)

Class of 2006

John Dong (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Alexander Piazza (University of Michigan/Michigan State University)
Bhajneet Kohli (University of Michigan)
Grace Gahman (Oakland University)
Jeremy Clemens
Katie Pendock (Oakland University)
Stephanie Roth (University of Michigan/Oakland Univeristy)
Ye He (University of Michigan/Harvard University)
Fiona Turett (Washington University St. Louis)
Chris Lee

Class of 2005

Richard Schuster (University of Michigan/Oakland University)
Katrin Augustyniak (Oakland University)
Matt Benoit (Oakland University)
Jenny Stein (Oakland University)
Hayley Lawson (Oakland University)
Stephen Krause (University of Michigan)

Class of 2004

Riva Das (Duke University/Pennsylvania State University)
Danny Demp (University of Michigan)
Carrie Hauser (Eastern Michigan University/Indiana State University)
Jason Lewer (Michigan State University)
Jim Liu (University of Michigan)
Katie Olson (University of Michigan/University of Virginia)
David Pirozzo (Oakland University)
Eric Plagens (Wayne State University/Oakland University/Kettering University)
Jeff Rogers (University of Michigan)
Bill Stoffel (University of Michigan)

Class of 2003

Adnan Asif (Michigan State University)
Christian Catalan (University of Michigan)
Alex Drummer (Northen Michigan University/Wayne State University)
Carl Fristad (Minneapolis College of Art and Design)
Edward Hong (Oakland University)
Dan Krause (University of Michigan)
Bin-Bin Mao (University of Michigan)
John Morgan (University of Michigan)
Steve Moy (Michigan State University)
Hunter Nie (University of Michigan)
Lauren Olson (Michigan State University)
Kevin Smith (Michigan State University)
Kaylyn Soller (Michigan Technological University)
Jason Yee

Class of 2002

Amanda Armstrong
Andrea Brown
Joe Gothomy (University of Michigan)
Brian Hamburg (Michigan State University)
Nathaniel Johnson (Oakland University)
Kevin McCulum
Max Peters
Mou Sangupta (University of Michigan)

Class of 2001

Mike Albertus (University of Michigan/Stanford University)
Kirsten Fristad (Macalester College/University of Oslo)
Nicholas Goodard
Jeremy Gouldy
Vicky Wilson (Alma College/Purdue University)

Class of 2000

Karen Ault (Alma College)
Lauren Davenport (Michigan State University)
Cindy Drebus (Alma College)
Andrew Drummer (Carleton College/Oakland University/Wayne State University)
David Hockey (University of Michigan)
Dan Hulme (University of Michigan)
Niko Kanagawa (Albion College)
Nicole Nelson
Ben Palmer (Case Western Reserve University)
Bryan Wilson (Western Michigan University)

Class of 1999

Paul Albertus (University of Michigan/USC Berkeley)
Philip Smith (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology/University of Michigan)
Edward Vollenweider (Central Michigan University)
Robert Gable (Central Michigan University)
Nicholas Czechowski
Derek Herbert (University of Michigan)
Ken-Pei Leung (Michigan Technological University)
Nicholas Reeck (University of Michigan)
Joseph Pirozzo (Oakland University)
Sean Halliday

Alumni Spotlight

Tanay Patel

What years were you on the team and what did you do?
“2009-2013, I started out being the electrical captain and the build lead and eventually a driver that year as well.”

Where did you go to school? Majors?
“Michigan Tech, I graduated with a biomedical and electrical engineering degree.”

How did your experience on the AdamBots affect your choice of profession?
“Well, I always knew I wanted to be an engineer but being a part of FIRST and OCCRA gave me a head start working with teams and other people. You need to make sure you’re working with business to make sure there’s funding and mechanical and software to make sure things work together. On a more technical level everything I’ve done here I’ve been able to apply to my classes and interviewing too. Being part of the AdamBots helped me get jobs because explaining what we did to judges is just like an interview, so being a part of this organization and this competition puts you so far ahead.”

Why did you join the robotics team?
“I always knew I wanted to be an engineer. My dad’s an engineer. I knew that I really liked computers growing up, so I was like “Oh, robotics, this would be fun.” I had really no idea what it was until I joined and I started OCCRA in 2009. And I really didn’t enjoy it at first because only the seniors were working on stuff, but then Dean [the team captain] took me under his wing and we had to completely redesign the robot and rebuild it in one week and that was crazy. And it was so much fun; that’s what got me there. It was Dean, myself, and a couple other students, and Mr. H, and we were there from after school to midnight for a week straight redesigning the whole OCCRA robot, and we ended up winning the OCCRA championship, so that’s what got me into it.”

What is your best memory from the AdamBots?
“It had to have been in 2013. I don’t know if it was the 2013 Palmetto Regional or 2013 Troy, but we had come in second God know how many times. It had to have been like 8, 9 times since I was on the team. So, Palmetto was the first win that we had, and then Troy was with 469 and we made a noodle robot. We put a big noodle frame onto our robot, and they were blocking 67’s shots, and we were just cycling back and forth. There were frisbees going one way here and frisbees going the other way here and we were just cycling. It was crazy, just, I could never hear the crowd when I’m driving usually. That competition, I could hear the crowd.

Any words of wisdom for current AdamBots?
“Make sure you work with the mentors. Take advantage of that opportunity because they’re so knowledgeable and they, like, they got me where I am right now. Everything I learned I am starting to give back as a mentor now. I’m doing what I’m doing now because these mentors spent hours and hours when I was in high school to teach me, to get us competing, and compete well and do well at the competitions and just help me gain so much confidence in my engineering skills and also working in a team and all that stuff. So, use the mentors and on top of that, go back and be a mentor if you can because it’s super rewarding to be able to give back.”

Patricia Schuster

What years were you on the team and what did you do?
2005-2007, unofficially since 7th grade in 2002.  I helped recruit for the team, organize a lot of the social side and helped on most of the building aspects. I think I made a lot of the more practical decisions when the rest of the team were overwhelmed and helped to keep the building on task.

Where did you go to school? Majors?
University of Michigan – Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences and the International Minor in Engineering

What are you doing today?
Senior in college, waiting to hear back from graduate schools.  I’m pursuing a PhD in radiation detection and nonproliferation.

Did being on the robotics team have an impact on you? How?
Yes, it helped me learn a lot of skills necessary to working in a team and managing social dynamics.  It set me up to make a lot of friends at U of M who were on other robotics teams that I recognized.  Robotics is one of the best experiences a high school student can have in terms of personal growth.  It will set you up professionally, socially, and eventually financially.

Fiona Turett

What years were you on the team and what did you do?
“2002 – 2006 FIRST seasons. I mostly did mechanical design and building work, as well as electrical wiring.  I really enjoyed the hands-on aspects of the robotics program.  I was the captain and driver for the girls competition team.”

Where did you go to school? Majors?
“Washington University in St. Louis – graduated in 2009 with a degree in mechanical engineering.  I also completed a minor in aerospace engineering.”

What are you doing today?
“I currently work at NASA’s Johnson Space Center as a System Safety Engineer.  I work on the space shuttle energy systems, which includes all engines, thrusters, and hydraulic power.  My job is to assess and document risks associated with my subsystems, as well as to provide operations support during shuttle flights.”

Did being on the robotics team have an impact on you? How?
“Yes, being on the team definitely impacted the path I chose to pursue in college and beyond.  Robotics was the first activity which made me realize I was interested in engineering.  I had never really had an opportunity to design and build much before then, but once I got involved I realized how much I enjoyed it.  My experience with robotics also helped me secure a NASA internship between high school and college, and allowed me to get involved with a student-run nanosatellite project as a college freshman.  The opportunities which my robotics experience opened up for me have been amazing and have ultimately led me to where I am today.”

Paul Albertus

What years were you on the team and what did you do?
“I graduated from Adams in 1999 and only did FIRST one year, so that must have been in 1999. I was involved in the design of the robot, and in particular on a ladder mechanism that we used in the robot for elevating objects in the game.”

Where did you go to school and what were your majors?
“I did my undergrad at the University of Michigan in Chemical Engineering, and then went on for a PhD at UC Berkeley, also in Chemical Engineering.”

How did your experience on the AdamBots affect your choice of profession?
“I had a great time on the FIRST team, and I think it did reinforce my interest in science and technology. I don’t think it specifically influenced me towards electrical or mechanical engineering (two of the areas where robotics is focused on most directly), but it did have some influence on me pursuing engineering.”

Why did you join the robotics team?
“Before high school I had done a lot of Odyssey of the Mind, and I think that there are some similarities between that and FIRST. In any case, I knew that I enjoyed being part of a team working on technical problems, and FIRST certainly fit that bill.”

What was your best memory of the AdamBots?
“I have a number of good memories. There was a really fun mentor that we worked with — Paul Slaby — who made the experience very enjoyable and interesting. Working on the robot design was also a good memory, as were other members of the team.”

Do you have any words of wisdom for the current members of the AdamBots?
“A lot of what you learn in the FIRST competition is very relevant in later stages of life!
A few examples of what I learned in FIRST that has applied to my later stages of life:
– Teamwork is very important. Although it takes a lot of effort to make a team function well, ten people working well together can achieve far more than just one.
– It’s important that a project is exciting and has compelling emotional aspects in order for team members to become engaged and work together well. The excitement that FIRST generates helped teach me this lesson.
– The best projects happen when there are a variety of types of people involved. In other words, there are a lot of benefits that come from having people of different backgrounds involved in a FIRST team.”