Ms. Rhea became a robotics director at Vandegrift High School in 2025 with a particular focus in FRC. Ms. Rhea also teaches AP Environmental Science after receiving a bachelor of science in Environmental Science from The University of Texas at Austin.

She decided to be a robotics director because she has seen firsthand the incredible opportunities our program provides students - hands-on experiences in engineering, problem solving, and team collaboration that extends beyond what a traditional classroom can offer. She sees robotics as a way to empower students to think creatively, address real-world challenges, and build confidence in their abilities. She wanted to be a part of facilitating those transformative experiences and helping students discover their passions as they move through high school and beyond.

One of her favorite quotes is “There’s really not a difficult thing unless you decide it’s a difficult thing. Otherwise, it’s just the next thing you’re figuring out.” She loves this quote because it is a reminder that while we face many challenges in our lifetimes, when you break challenges down into manageable pieces, they seem much less great, and much easier to overcome.

Mr. Zvada became a robotics director at Vandegrift High School with the perspective of seeing robotics students as a look into the future. Their ambitions of being engineers, doctors, and pursuing other careers will make the world a better place. Mr. Zvada is motivated by their passion to foster a place of growth, development, and empowerment within the robotics laboratory. 

Outside of robotics, Mr. Zvada employs his Bachelor's degree in History from California State University Channel Islands and his Master's degree in Education from Grand Canyon University as a Special Education teacher.

His favorite quote is to "be excellent to each other" because it encourages people to see the best in others, even if they normally wouldn't get along.

Michael founded Valor in 2017, starting the first FRC team at Vandegrift High School. Michael's passion for robots and STEM originates from his FRC team in high school, Team RUSH 27. Michael went to the University of Michigan for his undergrad to study Electrical and Computer Engineering and went on to get his master's at Georgia Tech for the same major. He works as a Software Engineer for Warehouse and Distribution Centers at Amazon. 

Michael became a FIRST mentor after having a great experience on his high school's FRC team. He wanted to give back to students in Austin schools and help them discover the same passion for STEM that he found. He mentored his old team for 8 years before deciding to start a team here at Vandegrift High School, Valor. 

His favorite quote is "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." This famous quote from The Office is his favorite because he believes it applies to everything in life.

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.

Jan has been an FRC mentor since 2018 and became a Valor mentor in 2019. 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.

David joined Valor in 2025 as a project manager for design, manufacturing, and assembly processes. He went to Kent State University, receiving a bachelor's degree in biotechnology. Now, he works at Piaggio Fast Forward as a Technical Sales Engineer, employing his skills to sell and deploy their kilo automation robot for warehousing and logistics clients.

When asked to mentor Valor, David could not pass up the opportunity. He has spent the most recent years of his life at different software and robotics companies managing projects and processes, so he wanted to support young innovators by utilizing his past and present work experience. Valor's culture of excellence in learning and our competitive spirit solidified his desire and decision to be a part of our team. 

Devon joined Valor as a business and hardware mentor in 2025. She works at Tesla as an Associate Quality Manager after receiving her education at Worcester Polytechnic Institute for a bacelor of science in mechancial engineering.

Devon became a mentor after reflecting on the significant impact FRC robotics had on her life during high school. She wants to give back to the FIRST community by encouraging and inspiring students to become future STEM professionals.

Her favorite quote is "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better," by Maya Angelou. This quote speaks about continuous improvement and always seeking ways to be and do better.

Mrs. Zamora has been a mentor for Valor since 2021. She attended Brigham Young University and studied Mechanical Engineering, and now teaches Aerospace Engineering, Money Matters, and Digital Electronics at Vandegrift High School.

She decided to become a Valor mentor because she is a teacher at Vandegrift and wants 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.

As a business team mentor since 2025, Nicole brings a wealth of experience. She holds an MBA from Oakland University and a Master's in Product Management from the University of Maryland. In her remote role at North, a payment processing company, she works as a QA Team Lead, Project Manager, and ScrumMaster on a new point-of-sale application.

She became a mentor to give back to the FRC community that was so helpful and supportive to her own two sons. She aims to help guide the next generation of students, drawing on her professional skills to do so.

One of her favorite quotes is "The best way to get a project done faster is to start sooner," by Jim Highsmith, an Agile author. For Nicole, this quote isn't just about speed; it's about taking action, embracing the learning process, and seeing failures not as mistakes, but as opportunities to grow.

Nik has been an FRC mentor since 2012 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.

Sam has been a Valor mentor since 2021. 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.