2008 Team Member Bios

Alex
Pre-build season, Alex is a member of the web development team. Outside of Robotics, Alexander enjoys backpacking, paragliding, and reading when he does not have any academic commitments. He has also competed in two AI (artificial intelligence) programming competitions.

Meha
Meha has been a member of the Engineering Academy for four years and is a leader of the Public Relations group. Aside from Robotics, Meha is involved in JSA, the congresswoman's Youth Advisory Board, Mock Trial, and Leadership. She loves dancing, singing, and meeting new people. She hopes to major in science/engineering and economics.

Daniel
Daniel has been in the Engineering Academy for four years. He is part of the transportation and media teams. When the Robotics season starts, he will be part of the mechanical design team. In addition to Robotics, Daniel is co-captain of the varsity wrestling team.

Erika
Erika works on the website and computer programming, and plays a large leadership role in Team 1717. She is a member of the Econ Challenge team (1st in CA), California champion of the Math League, Math Club president, and a Las Cumbres Observatory intern. Erika plans to pursue math, physics, or engineering.

Will
William is in his fourth year of the DPEA and is currently working with the financial team. Outside of Robotics, William is captain of DP Sailing, President of FSEA, and among numerous achievements, the last certified person proficient in Morse Code. William is now aiming for acceptance into top colleges.

Kevin
Kevin is excited to be part of the DP Robotics Team. He is a member of the mechanical team as well as the Public Relations Group. Aside from the Engineering Academy, he is also captain of Varsity Tennis and Mock Trial, a member of the Economics Challenge and Capital Markets teams, and an avid musician.

Scott
Scott has been a student in the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy for all four years of high school. He has enjoyed participating in the academy and is excited to finally be a part of the Robotics program, where he concentrates on media and the mechanical aspects of the program.

Kieran
Kieran has been involved in the DPEA since his freshman year. He is a member of the Public Relations Committee during the pre-build season, and will be a member of the electrical team during build season. Kieran is also involved in the Marching Band, where he plays the saxophone, and is a member of the Swing Dancing Club.

Sahar
Sahar has been a member of the DPEA since her freshman year. She is currently heading the media group and collaborating with parents on fundraising efforts. Outside of Robotics, Sahar practices jazz and classical piano, plays guitar in a band, has been in many theatrical productions and loves traveling, swimming, music and photography.

Erika
Erika is a four-year member of the DPEA and co-heads the Public Relations group during pre-build season. Outside of Robotics, Erika is a varsity tennis and track athlete, takes part in her youth group and synagogue where she helps with art and choir, and works as Commissioner of Social Awareness in the DP Leadership class.

Omar
Omar was an AP Physics student last year and is excited to be a part of the Robotics team this year. Omar is a varsity cross country and varsity track and field runner.

Val
Val is excited to be on the Robotics team. Pre-build season, he is in the Parent and Student Communications group. Once season sets off, he will be part of the Electrical Team. Val is a Commissioner of Environmental Concerns in the DP Leadership class, involved in Martial Arts training, and hopes to major in Physics or Computer Science.

Ricky
Ricky is an all around student-athlete with an upbeat personality. He manages his time between AP classes, water polo, kite boarding, volleyball, and surfing. He has participated in all aspects of the Engineering Academy and is currently in charge of Parent/Student contacts for all the grades. He plans to go to a four-year university to pursue Bioengineering.

Jasper
Jasper is working in the Media group for the pre-build season. In his free time he plays volleyball and dabbles in many other sports. Jasper has been involved in an ongoing internship with a local civil engineer, and plans to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering when he goes to college.

Wei
Wei has been a part of the DPEA since her junior year. Pre-build season, she's engaged in the Uniform and Multimedia groups. In addition to engineering, Wei is intrigued by poetry, literature, and mathematics, and seeks to be a good person according to "Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance."

Trevor
As a bat-swinging, alto-saxophone-playing leadership commissioner, Trevor has covered a lot of bases during his four-year stay at Dos Pueblos. He has been part of the DP Engineering Academy for the past three years and is part of the flagship Robotics course. He runs the food and transportation for the Robotics team this year.

Robert
Robert is a member of the DPEA and Robotics. Pre-build season, he is in the Web Design and Computer Programming groups. Robert is also co-captain of the varsity tennis team, the president of Academic Decathlon Club, and participates in various math contests including U.S.A. Math Talent Search where he won the bronze medal last year.

Matt
Matt has been in the Engineering Academy since 9th grade and is co-leader of the media team. Outside of Robotics, Matt is captain of DP Drumline. He spent his last two summers performing with Mystikal, a drum corps based in Long Beach. Matt also worked as an intern at Praevium Research, Inc., an engineering company based in Santa Barbara.

Stephen
Stephen has been in the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy for the past two years. Stephen is on the Documentation team during the pre-build season. Stephen has played in the Advanced Jazz band and on the baseball team for three years at Dos Pueblos. Stephen plans to have a career in the engineering field after college.

Scott
Scott is a four year member of the DPEA, and a four year member of the DP track and cross country team. He wants to go to the Naval Academy after finishing his senior year.

Joseph
Joseph has been a member of the Engineering Academy for four years. In addition, he is a member of the marching band, in which he plays clarinet, and is a four-year varsity tennis player. He is looking forward to participating in the Dos Pueblos Robotics team in which he is now a member of the Finance group.

Zachary
Zak is maintaining a very active commitment to the Robotics team while also participating in marching band, holding a job, and training as a black belt in Taekwondo. Zak has one of the greatest competition duties as part of the Robot Drive Team in addition to being part of the pre-season Media team and a mechanical designer.

James
James is a member of the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy and on the Robotics team. As a senior in the graduating class of 2008, James is interested in computer science, engineering, and business. James is also the captain of the varsity golf team and looking forward to a successful year on Team 1717.

Michael
Michael is a quick learner and a good student. Michael excelled in mathematics and the sciences all through junior and senior high school. In addition to being a part of the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy, he is also on the varsity baseball team.

Sam
Sam, a current senior at Dos Pueblos and D'Penguineer, devotes a great deal of time to Robotics—in which he helps manage finances—Track & Field, and community services. Sam has been part of the Engineering Academy for over a year now and looks forward to good times building an epic robot.

J.R.
J.R. is excited to be a part of the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy. He works in the Public Relations and mechanical groups on DP's Robotics team. He is also on the Varsity soccer team, the Mock Trial team, and the Economics Challenge team, and is co-President of the Math Club and Vice President of Chinese Culture Club.

Nicolas
Nico has been with the Engineering Academy for four years. In Robotics, he will be involved with the electrical aspects of the robot. He has been working on the organization of transportation and food for the Monday night meetings. Nico is the lead trumpet player in both the jazz and marching bands. He plans to major in mechanical engineering.

Natalie
Natalie has been a member of the DPEA since her sophomore year. She is head of the uniforms group, a member of the media group, and is working in cooperation with parents on fundraising. She was also a member of the DP varsity water polo and swimming teams. Outside of Robotics, Natalie enjoys hiking with her family.

Melody
Melody is working in the Finance group and assisting with the mechanical aspects of the Robotics team. She is interested in majoring in Civil Engineering. She has been on JV and Varsity Tennis as well as Frosh/Soph and JV Basketball. Melody is also on the board of GVB. She is an At-Large in the DP Leadership Class.

Daniel
Daniel is working with the Computer Programming team on developing the website and assisting the team with tech based issues such as email verification and hard drive partitioning. He is a 4-time varsity track athlete and placed 13th in State in the Pole Vault. Daniel also builds guitars and hopes to one day run a small guitar company.

Wei
Wei co-leads the website development group and is ecstatic about Robotics this year. She plays piccolo in the DP Marching Band and is the vice-president of Math Club and a member of the EconChallenge team. Outside of school, Wei is a serial TV addict.

Xuyang
Xuyang is a member of the Dos Pueblos Robotics Team. He is currently working in the Documentation and Media group. Xuyang is also tutoring math at Isla Vista Teen Center.