Meet a Robotics Challenge Scholarship Awardee – Ailey Smith

The NFPA Education and Technology Foundation has awarded 5 scholarships to students who applied to the Robotics Challenge Scholarship. A minimum GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0, 1,000-word essay, letter of recommendation, and use of pneumatics in their FIRST or VEX competition robot were required from each applicant. The NFPA Foundation’s goal is to build awareness of fluid power benefits and careers among high school students.

One of the winners, Ailey Smith, is attending the University of Florida. We asked Ailey a few questions about winning the scholarship.

What does winning this scholarship mean to you?

I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue my goals at the University of Florida. I have no doubt the support this scholarship provides will propel my future success. Less financial worry means the ability the get involved in engineering clubs or take on internships on or off campus without as much stress. I am grateful to the NFPA for their kindness and investment in my future.

When did you first get involved in robotics? How did your experiences and roles in robotics evolve over time?

I became involved in robotics my sophomore year of high school when I was asked to join my school’s competitive robotics team by my engineering teacher. At first, everything seemed extremely difficult, and I felt out of my depth. However, as I grew in my skills, and realized how much I loved robotics and engineering, my passion for it continued to grow. Over time I even became a mentor and team captain. By my senior year, I was able to code, document, build, and coach my team (who were the best partners I could have asked for!) and we all worked together to win a coveted design award at the World Tournament. 

Where are you going to college? What made you choose this school? What activities are you hoping to participate in?

I am attending college at the University of Florida because I believe it is the school that will provide the support and resources to help in my studies, networking and internship opportunities which will help propel my future engineering career, and that it will ultimately be a safe environment to grow into a career where I can use my genuine passion and love for engineering to change the world for the better. The University of Florida also offers activities like competitive robotics, a theme park club, and a racecar designing team. All of these clubs serve to help create practical applications for what I will be learning in the engineering classroom setting, and I’m excited to get involved in them.

What are your career aspirations? What type of fluid power job do you hope to get after you graduate?

Next year, at the University of Florida (UF), I am going to be a mechanical engineering major who aspires to push myself to excel while in school, look forward to a successful career, and push the boundaries of what is currently possible in the fields of engineering and fluid power. I am on a mission to contribute significantly to the mechanical engineering field, envisioning myself at the forefront of groundbreaking research and development. I am working towards opportunities in robotics or engineering companies that are at the forefront of innovative and unique design in engineering, mechanics, and fluid power.

One way NFPA members can get involved with scholarship programs is to volunteer as a judge to serve on the application review committee or mentor a robotics team as they work towards incorporating pneumatics in their designs. This year 23 judges from 15 NFPA member companies reviewed 65 student applications to the Robotics Challenge Scholarship program. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Haley Nemeth at hnemeth@nfpa.com.