MEET THE TEAM

AIDEN FORBES

17, JUNIOR | LEAD DESIGNER, BUILDER

Gracious Professionalism is the way in which others practice the value of charity upon one another in a professional environment. I believe that this includes being patient and understanding other people’s points of view, and always valuing the input of others.

I joined robotics because I wanted to be a part of a team in which I can solve critical problems and make use of the engineering method with my friends.

I am a Junior. I like to play drums, garden, cook, body build, and work on my 3d-printers at home. I hope that I will be able to learn more about engineering in college, and I plan to become a mechanical engineer.

COLE HILLIARD

17, JUNIOR | LEAD DESIGNER, BUILDER

I have had been through many robotics competitions and I know that teamwork is super important. Building a relationship with your team will work better and faster. Working with other teams at the competitions is crucial as well because you need to form alliances during the competitions.

I have always loved mechanics and how things work and when given the opportunity to join robotics I jumped at the offer. I have been here for 3 years now, and I can confidently say that the reason I joined is to learn more about the mechanical workings of fabrication and coding.

I enjoy videogames and working on my car and 3D printers when I’m not in school. I recently started my own prototype lab LLC, and I am looking to pursue engineering in college.

JOSH CHOBOTAR

16 SOPHOMORE | HEAD NOTEBOOK EDITOR, COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING

Throughout this year and last year, I have seen good sportsmanship, bad sportsmanship, and many things in between. I have concluded that gracious professionalism means to be noble in everything that you do, and to be fair to others around you. I believe that if everyone has gracious professionalism in their everyday life, we would all live happier and safer together.

I am a very technical person. I love computers and coding and designing. I chose to be oaths team because I thought it would be a good experience. I want to learn all that I can while making the world a better place.

Like previously stated, I love computers. Other than being in robotics, I am also in an innovations class taught by the same teachers. I am also on the AV team at my school and will oversee team next year. I also love riding my bike and playing chess in my spare time.

SEBASTIAN FRANK

15 SOPHOMORE | ROBOT DRIVER/OPERATOR, BUILDER

To me gracious professionalism is being kind and respectful to my coworkers/peers and putting forth the fullest effort I can to complete tasks. I do my best to get tasks done as quickly and efficiently as possible to get the best possible opportunities in life. I also give credit where credit is due. Another thing I believe is that I should do my best to include others when I can. I try to do that as best as I can, whenever I can.

I joined robotics because I was in it last year, and year before at my middle school. It was a fun thing for me to engage in and make new friends. I enjoy being here with all these people here and working alongside them. They are great people and good friends; I enjoy being with them all.

I have been in robotics for two years now in some way, shape, or form. I also have experience with FUSION 360 (CAD), C#, and building things with LEGOS. I also have some experience with Unity 3D editor. I am a “gifted person,” as called by my peers, and am open to new experiences and try to put myself out there and have new experiences every now and then.

EVAN GURNEY

16 SOPHOMORE | ROBOT DRIVER/OPERATOR, BUILDER

Grace means to keep showing kindness when it’s not deserved, and professionalism means to work with skill and purpose. By combining the two terms, you get a single phrase that means to forgive others while maintaining a stable and skillful workspace.

When I was young, people always asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and I never really had an answer. Until one day, I was with my dad, and we were watching the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket livestream. This was the one where the fuel tanks landed upright on the launchpad on their own after detaching from the rocket. I remember seeing that and being so amazed and moved, that I knew I wanted to work on something like that when I grew up. I started with the First Lego league in 5th grade and have been in robotics ever since. When I started at FLA I signed up for the robotics team as soon as possible. While aerospace engineering is my true passion, mechanical engineering is also a very interesting field to me, and my hope is that I can utilize that in my future career, hopefully as an aerospace engineer.

I spend most of my free time playing video games with my friends and listening to music. I like wakeboarding at the watersports complex. I’m a proud member of the varsity robotics team, and you will catch me in my robotics jacket pretty much every day while on campus.

JACK COOPER

15, FRESHMAN | BUILDER, DESIGNER

Gracious Professionalism means to me that everyone is being respectful to the team as a whole by finding to something productive to do.

I joined robotics to build, which is funny cause I have gone from every job type except for coding.

My name is Jonathan, but everyone calls me Jack. I am a Freshman at FLA, an aspiring mechanical engineer, and a biologist/ecologist. I am the Trello Board Task Manager for Jr. Varsity Robotics Team, but I also do the notebook and a bit of Building/Designing/ CAD as needed. To summarize what I do in robotics, I’m the guy who if you say you are going to get something done, I’ll hold you to your word, and help you get the task done if need be. In my free time I enjoy going running and hiking, creating LEGO MOC’s (My Own Creation), making redstone contraptions in Minecraft, and watching the latest season of Hermitcraft, and other content by Grian and Mumbo Jumbo on Youtube.

ALDEM PIDO

17 SENIOR | JAVA PROGRAMMING

Gracious professionalism to me means to do my best while keeping it friendly and keeping my cool.

I joined robotics because I wanted to utilize and improve my coding skills.

I’ve been doing innovation and robotics since 5th grade, and I’m interested in Electrical Engineering and some computer sciences. I currently operate as a programmer on the team.

ANDRE ESCOBAR

17, JUNIOR | JAVA PROGRAMMING

Succeed with respect to my competitors and those I cooperate with. A very simply concept given a fancy name. I think being gracious is something we should do in all aspects of our life not just professionally.

I was on the FLEC robotics team and have experience working in a similar environment to the team I’m on now. I was invited to join the team and found the bonus of receiving a credit appealing. I had free time on my hands and always enjoy an opportunity to learn and grow as a person and as a competitor.

My name is Jonathan, but everyone calls me Jack. I am a Freshman at FLA, an aspiring mechanical engineer, and a biologist/ecologist. I am the Trello Board Task Manager for Jr. Varsity Robotics Team, but I also do the notebook and a bit of Building/Designing/ CAD as needed. To summarize what I do in robotics, I’m the guy who if you say you are going to get something done, I’ll hold you to your word, and help you get the task done if need be. In my free time I enjoy going running and hiking, creating LEGO MOC’s (My Own Creation), making redstone contraptions in Minecraft, and watching the latest season of Hermitcraft, and other content by Grian and Mumbo Jumbo on Youtube.

JORDAN COLLAZO

16 SOPHOMORE | DESIGNER

It is a certain way of doing things in a respectful and meaningful way, for the community or any form of team that I am in. It shows good professionalism and good community efforts within my environment.

I joined robotics to learn my place within my future and figuring out what I want to do in my life. I feel robotics shows me a new perspective on the working environment

I am a huge marvel fan I love to be creative.

KRISTINA ADEWOLE

16, SOPHOMORE | TEAM LEADER, LEAD DESIGNER

It means working in a way that is peaceful with others around you. Keeping the peace in a work environment.

I joined robotics because I like to work as a team to build with others. Ever since I was young, I felt good about building things from the ground up and achieving a higher potential.

I am a very accomplished and inspiring being. I love to help those I care about and try my hardest with everything I do. I am creative and love to work with others to fix things.

IRMA JIMENEZ

TEACHER | ROBOTICS COACH

My name is Irma Jimenez, and I am Forest Lake Academy Robotics' Coach. I have a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida, and I have worked in companies like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and former Coleman Research for a period of over 20 years. In this stage of my life, I want to share my knowledge and experience with our future generation. That is why I am coaching the Robotics team and I am part of the FLCOE Innovation Program. I coach the Robotics team in using Gracious Professionalism: doing high-quality work, emphasizing the value of each team member and respecting each other. As a Certified Scrum Master, I coach them through the Agile framework to accomplish each iteration of building the robot and other tasks that are necessary. Each member has learned how to work individually and as part of a team. It is rewarding to see these young creative minds come up with solutions that are outside of the box.

In my spare time, I enjoy being with my 3 children, 2 granddaughters and family. I also enjoy playing tennis, bike riding and working out. I am certified Health Coach.

ROBERT HENLEY

TEACHER | ROBOTICS COACH

Gracious professionalism means working together as a global community and respecting the differences of others.

Robotics provides young people with an opportunity to discover gifts and develop skills that are not the traditional learning environment does not do. It provided me with an opportunity to help my son discover his path in life. I do it because I want other students to experience have the same opportunity that he had.

I currently serve as Innovation Director for the Florida Conference Office of Education and the founding director of the Florida Conference Innovation Lab at Forest Lake Academy. I got involved with Robotics more than 13 years ago because I saw it as a vehicle that would help my son develop technical skills.