"In the field of robotics, our imagination is the only limit."
- Bob Reiner
Hi there I'm Kumar,
I am a motivated high school senior at Independence High School, Frisco ISD, TX with a passion for computer science, engineering, and robotics.
As an Independent Study and Mentorship (ISM) student, I aim to thoughtfully design and develop a product that benefits various industries and the general public by employing computer science and innovative technology. I am committed to upholding high standards of professionalism as I expand my network via engaging with and learning from professionals through interviews and networking opportunities.
Frisco ISD's Independent Study and Mentorship program is a program for which students must apply, interview, and be recommended during their junior and/or senior year. Gifted and high achieving students focus their study on a topic or career of their choice. They develop a research portfolio that has a collection of resources including interviews and observations with people who work in their chosen field or topic of study.
Students work on time management, communication, research, goal setting, various soft skills, and presentation skills. During the spring semester, students work with mentors at their mentor's place of business to gain "real world" experience and also to create an advanced product related to their topic. Students progressively give longer speech presentations and will give a formal presentation of their product and mentorship in May. Students leave the ISM experience knowing more about their chosen profession and whether or not that profession is the life and career path they desire to choose as they
prepare to enter college.
Over the last week, I have been preparing for my final presentation night by rehearsing my speech and presentation in front of my classmates and teacher. This practice rehearsal went very well, in my opinion, as I covered all the points I wanted to, except for one about my future goals with this robotic hand project and college in general. To prevent this, my teacher advised me to add a slide to my presentation specifically about this and suggested adding pictures of the professionals I interviewed to make it feel more personal. As for the actual robotic hand, everything works as is, but I plan to code a few more fun concepts, like having the hand count from one to five or even ask what the audience wants it to do to make it more engaging and further present my project. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I will miss my presentation night at Independence High School because my robotics team qualified for the state championship, which is on the same day. So, instead, I will be giving my presentation at Liberty High School on Tuesday the following week, which gives me a bit more time to prepare.
Dawud Rahmati is a college student at the University of New South Wales (Sydney) studying Electrical Engineering. I met him through my robotics club, as he is our virtual mentor on the business and outreach aspects of the team. He is a wonderful mentor for me because he is very knowledgeable about robotics and has much experience in the surrounding fields, especially electrical engineering. I appreciate the time and effort he has taken to guide me through my research and development for my robotic hand.
