Meet the ViperBots Faculty and Mentors

My wife and I are both teachers for LISD. We have two children that attended LISD schools and are currently attending college. I enjoy being outdoors, kayaking, skiing, riding a bicycle, and hiking.

After high school I had several odd jobs and eventually settled into construction related fields. The construction jobs were too unpredictable, so I decided to go back to school and study electronics. I have worked in the defense industry assembling wiring harnesses for aircraft, and in the semiconductor industry as an electronic technician repairing and maintaining manufacturing equipment. The semiconductor company I worked for moved to China. I took that as a sign to find a new career. I went back to school again, and here I am. Education is a third career for me.

Education

Associates of Applied Science in Electronics, Hallmark Institute of Technology: San Antonio, Tx

Bachelor's of Arts in  Multidisciplinary Studies, Huston-Tillotson University: Austin, TX

Ben, the co-founder of the team, has also been a mentor for the team since 2017. He helped start Valor, the first FRC team at Vandegrift. He went to UT Austin to study Astronomy and Physics (Space Sciences) as a double major. Today, he works at Applied Research Laboratories as a Data Science Algorithm Engineer and he works with drones and the ICESat-2. 

He became a mentor for Valor because an old friend from high school (Michael) called him and asked if he would like to be the manufacturing mentor for the team. He agreed because he also enjoyed his FRC experience in high school and thought about mentoring someday, so when the opportunity presented itself, he made sure to take it. 

Ben's favorite quote is "The left lane is for passing only." He likes this quote because caring about the rules of the road means you care about drivers and that means you care about some random citizen on the road.

Nik has been an FRC mentor since 2013 and he joined Valor as a design mentor in 2022. He is a Mechanical Engineer employed at Screen Innovations and actively contributes to the design, engineering, and manual construction of projection screens within the company. 

Nik's motivation to become a mentor came from the positive impact his own mentors had on him when he was a student, and now he wants to give students the same opportunity he had. 

His favorite quote is "Are you done yet?" and he likes it because you're not done yet.

Jan has been an FRC mentor since 2018 and became a Valor mentor in 2019 and has been with the team for 7 years. He went to Virginia Tech to study Computer Science, and he now serves as a Solutions Engineer for Alchemy Technology Group. 

Jan became an FRC mentor because he wanted to give back to the program that created the person he is today. By becoming a mentor, he hopes to inspire others to appreciate and contribute to the community. 

His favorite quote is "Shoot for the Moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" by Norman Vincent Peale. He likes this quote because it describes how you need to set lofty enough goals so that even if you don't reach them, you are still able to succeed.

Madison has been an Assembly mentor for Valor since 2021, and this is her 4th season with the team. She attended Brigham Young University and studied Mechanical Engineering, and she is now a high school science teacher. 

She decided to become a Valor mentor because she was a teacher at Vandegrift and wanted to help the students. She loves engineering and wanted the opportunity to teach it, and she was excited to be able to teach a group of students who also love engineering and STEM.

Her favorite quote is "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler" by Albert Einstein. This is her favorite quote because as a mentor and a teacher, she agrees with it. She believes it gives a cool outlook on life and explains how there are different ways to create and explore things.

The 2025 season marks Sam's 4th year of mentoring for Valor. Sam attended Brigham Young University and studied Electrical Engineering. Today, he works as a server at Alamo Drafthouse. 

Sam decided to become an Electrical mentor for Valor because he loves robots and teaching, and he wants to equip students with the knowledge of creation and bring out the ether. 

His favorite quote, by Duncan Idaho from Chapterhouse: Dune, is "Respond to new questions as you did to new patterns. Testing, re-testing, shaping, and re-shaping. A constant process, never stopping, never satisfied." He likes this quote because it demonstrates how we get better and improve. It explains the process of engineering and how includes important components such as testing and creation.

Stefano has been a Valor mentor since 2024.