JA
ES
I'm a Robotics Engineering student at the University of Michigan, and my passion for engineering has burned bright since I joined a FIRST robotics team 8 years ago. Since then, my journey has developed my skills in programming, engineering management, strategic design, and so much more.
Society sees leadership as a pyramid, with leadership as a path to the top. In reality, flip the pyramid; the leader is at the bottom and should do everything they can to serve the team and their people. I've been blessed to lead many teams, from a state championship soccer team to a pro-bono engineering consulting group. Every moment has shown me how to love people.
My interests are nothing short of broad, and to me, that is what makes me who I am. A passionate Michigan sports fan, I recently served as an agent on six NIL deals. An amateur historian, I often deep-dive into topics such as World War II, Star Wars, computing, and more. These are just the tip of the iceberg in my journey as a lifelong omnivore of interests.
I designed, built, and programmed the world's most powerful mobile robotic t-shirt cannon. Alongside two of my friends, this out-of-work project was funded by Koops Automation and is used for marketing and community events. Our goal was to create a technically sound robot that demonstrates the coolness of STEM, while simultaneously promoting Koops Automation.
Working with 2 other robotics majors, we built a self-balancing "Ballbot" from scratch. This project pushed our understanding of control systems and dynamic balancing. To learn more, view our technical report!
In my role as an RA, I planned, engineered, and performed an incredibly low budget yet effective haunted house for over 200 residents. Utilizing creative engineering solutions, we told the haunting story of Alice Lloyd.
Working with a team of 15 FIRST Robotics alumni, we designed, fabricated, programmed, and refined a working robot for the 2026 FRC game in just 3 days. We created documentation and used our design to mentor and advise local FIRST Robotics teams. I personally led the overall robot design process, managed integration between subsystems, and developed the climb system. What a rewarding project!
FIRST Robotics changed my life. I joined FTC Team 8529 in 2018, and FRC Team 107 shortly thereafter. The mentorship and student experience molded me into the person and engineer I am today. I love to win, but FIRST Robotics taught me how much fun it is to help others win as well. I am still actively involved in FIRST programs and look to give back to the program that gave so much to me.
Ask anyone who knows me; I am a competitive person. I gave every ounce I had to win 3rd-grade recess football, but just as much effort to outsmart my classmates at Math Pentathlon games. My desire to win and be the best version of myself has shaped me from a young age.
In 8th grade, I joined FIRST Robotics and was instantly hooked. In high school, I became captain of Team R.O.B.O.T.I.C.S., learning that "FIRST Robotics isn't kids building robots; it is robots building kids." My late mentor Bob Bonczyk left a lasting legacy on my life, and showed me how to compete with true compassion. I miss you, Bob.
Through soccer, I learned how to lead when I wasn't an all-star. I played goalkeeper under one of the best keepers in Michigan, and I learned how to lead from every position. I developed scouting systems and data analysis strategies that pushed our team to the next level, all the way to the state championship my senior year. My coaches created the "James Oosterhouse Maroon & White Award" to honor my efforts, and I am forever grateful for this team.
I began my professional career as a Project Engineering Intern at Koops Automation in February of 2023. I applied all of my knowledge from FIRST to industrial automation, and learned mountains in return. From CMM studies to sensor repairs to programming Kawasaki robots, I grew as an engineer exponentially throughout this 7 month internship. In addition to my responsibilities, I took the initiative to propose further FIRST robotics projects in Koops interests. I began coordinating the Bot in the Lot Expo, starting out with just 4 teams this summer. In addition, my friends and I spent over 100 hours after work creating Koopa Troopa, an FRC robot we took to competitions to recruit for Koops.
Matriculating at the University of Michigan was a dream come true. I bleed maize and blue pride and have started my beloved tradition of convincing my friends to stand at the Big House gates at the crack of dawn to earn front row seats every gameday. Just as exciting as our national championship in Football, my robotics skills took flight as I dove into AI for autonomous navigation, engineering applications of linear algebra, microprocessors and toys, and so many other niche topics. I learn just as much from my classmates as I do lecture, thus I am so thankful for our collaborative environment here in Ann Arbor.
Returning to Koops for a second summer, I had the pleasure of diving deeper into the world of control systems. I developed PLC logic, debugged Keyence camera systems, trained Fanuc robots, and fixed issues live at customer facilities all over the United States. I traveled away from Koops 42% of this internship, and it brought to life the combination of customer service and technical expertise I know now is so important. I continued to grow my Bot in the Lot Expo, this year reaching over 200 attendees and creating 2 new full-time hires! I also worked with my same friends to develop a T-shirt cannon robot (see featured projects).
Although our football team took a step down, the Michigan difference was never more clear in my life. After experiencing a game-changing class called "Coaching as Leading", I officially declared my minor in Coaching & Leadership through the Marsal Family School of Education. I got the privilege to dive into one of my favorite topics, human-robot interaction, designing better systems for people. Meanwhile, I took a leadership role in my club, Michigan Engineering Consulting Group. As a founding member in my freshman year, I was now leading a team of 10 consultants helping real businesses solve engineering problems. I also stepped in to lead our club's finance team, growing my business acumen in addition to technical know-how.
This third summer at Koops looked a bit different, in the best way possible. On our business development and applications engineering team, I got to test the waters in sales and customer acquisition, producing professional bid packages and product concepts. I personally won three projects worth over $2 million, putting me ranked 4th in our sales team over the summer out of 30 people. I also began to recognize inefficiencies in our process and proposed a new custom workflow to speed up the quoting process. Utilizing Large Language Models, I built KoopsGPT, a full-service LLM suite for the BD team. I also had the privilege to continue this project throughout the school year, managing its implementation and rollout. I am happy to say it saves users over 2 hours per week, and extrapolated out saves Koops over 4000 hours per year. Bot in the Lot was back and bigger than ever, attracting over 400 students, 3 new hires, and 15 local teams!
After my experience at Koops, I realized that my problem-solving skills and AI aptitude were marketable skills. Through conversations with my network, I began to consult various businesses on AI integration through auditing, prototyping, and implementation of human-in-the-loop AI systems. We have grown this practice to have a team of 6, as we look to grow our customer base beyond our current 5 clients. This entrepreneurial experience has helped me grow as an engineer, leader, and person, and we're not done yet.
As an upperclassman, it is finally time to dig deep into what makes robotics so unique. My first semester was highlighted by a full-stack robotics class, where I developed a BB-8 style ballbot (see featured project). I also got to take another Human-robot interaction class, and breadth classes like Marketing Management and Positively Leading Teams. This semester, I'm taking classes in marine robotics, wearable sensor technology, and robotics communication. I even got to build a Robot in 3 days with my FIRST alumni club (see featured project)! Finally, I also began my role as a Resident Advisor for Alice Lloyd Hall. I even got to flex my creative muscles and develop a haunted house for all of my residents, using every resource available to put on an immersive show (see feature project).
Throughout my journey, I've learned that I love to win. Even more so, I love to help others win. My ideal career uses my creative and technical skills to help others win, and have some fun along the way.
While I look ahead to where I'm going, it is most important to remember where I'm from. I am so thankful for my family and friends, the people who have made an impact on my life. To the mentors who have shown me what it looks like to believe in myself: Thank you.
.png)
