IRI Mentor of the Year Award

[Chris Fultz]

The IRI Mentor of The Year will be awarded on Saturday morning of the IRI.

The submission is a one - two page essay about why your mentor should be selected. Be sure the entry is legible, complete and well written.

Be sure to include the mentors full name, the team number, and a contact person if the judge panel has any questions about the submission.

There will be a box to turn these in on Friday morning.

[Chris Fultz]

During the event, we have an independent panel review the Mentor nominations and make the choice. I don't even look at any of the nomination letters during the event, but i ready them today.

Congratulations to Brandon Holley for this award. Great essay by the students and a well deserved award. It is almost fitting that Brandon wasn't in the gym for the award presentation - he was in the pits helping get the robot ready for their next match!

And awesome work by all of the students who nominated mentors. It is easy to see that you put a lot of work and thought into your essays and that you have great respect for these team leaders.

I would encourage you to share them with the mentors you nominated!

[rsisk]

Way to go Brandon... congrats

[Daniel Brim]

I've had the pleasure of working with Brandon for the last six years. Our team would be nowhere near where it is today without his dedication and spirit. He has the kind of attitude and work ethic that not only makes the team better; it makes everyone around him better. He has directly impacted the lives of many students in his seven years as a NUTRONS mentor. It was extremely heartwarming to see just a few of them come together to write his nomination essay.

Congratulations Brando, and here's to many more years.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Brandon,
Every time I saw you I forgot to say congrats. So here it is a little belated, congratulations!

[rcmolloy]

"FIRST truly isnt about building robots, but allowing yourself to reach higher and farther than you ever could." - Brandon Holley

Surfing around Delphi this morning and this guy popped up. Brandon couldn't have said it any better and I do believe that the award was fitting for him. Congrats buddy!

[Jim Zondag]

Congrats Brandon,
FIRST is what it is because of people like you.
Keep it up.

[Ether]

Are the nomination letters available online to read? It would be inspiring to read them.

[Chris Fultz]

they are all hand-written, not electronic, so not sure.

also not sure about posting these since they were submitted by teams and this was not stated in the submission requirements.

[Ekcrbe]

Congratulations Brandon on the high honor. It was great to work with everyone on 125 during the eliminations, and thanks for the signature at Champs. Now we can say we got an IRI Mentor of the Year to sign our robot before his fame.

[kborer22]

Originally Posted by Ether

Are the nomination letters available online to read? It would be inspiring to read them.

As requested here is the essay that we submitted for Brandon. Our students did an excellent job putting this together!

Brandon discovered FIRST in the fall of ‘01 as a member of FRC Team 11’s mini-MORT FLL team, joining their FRC team that same year. By his HS graduation in ‘05, he had been crucial in helping reorganize FRC Team 11 to their first regional and regional Chairman’s Award wins. That fall, he joined FRC Team 125 as a college mentor. Even with a full course load he was fully dedicated to the NUTRONS’ success. Now an alum, he remains one of our most devoted mentors. He is always the first in and last out of our lab and has worked to drastically improve our alum retention and participation.
His innovative methods have altered the team’s approach to both the robot, and the FIRST season. We have brainstorming sessions at the beginning of each season where he leads us in strategy and design discussions. He often says “Why not?” which surfaces throughout the build season when he pushes team members towards their goals instead of settling on an easy solution. He wants us to try new things such as cast our own shooter wheels and use new machining methods like water jetting parts. His encouragement drives us to be creative with our design, ultimately resulting in a better robot.
Since joining the NUTRONS, Brandon has held every position on the team, including captain his Sr. year at NU. This puts him in an excellent position to advise everyone on the team, as he is able to relate to them more effectively. He is one of the first to reach out to new members, bringing them out of their shell and making them feel more comfortable with the rest of the team. He always wants to include everyone and works at their pace in order to comprehensively teach them. As a member once said, “He had more

patience with me than I would’ve had with myself.” Understanding the “why” and the “how” is something he emphasizes when working with a student.
Brandon is heavily involved in the FIRST community. He’s an active member of the Chief Delphi forums, always willing to lend a hand to assist other teams. No matter what the problem, he has experience and advice to pass on. For the past 3 years he has headed up the effort to organize the Boston Area kickoff at NU, which hosts 35+ teams. He has also started a collaboration with his HS team, helping 125 and 11 perform at their greatest potential.
Brandon Holley has truly shaped the way the team functions today. With his guidance, our team members lead with their strongest capabilities, creating an energized atmosphere amongst everybody. His expertise and resources make it possible for our team to execute innovative designs that never cease to lead us further in competition. The challenging mindset and positive attitude he brings to the table push our team to exceed any goal we set.

[Akash Rastogi]

I've said my congratulation already multiple times, but its important to say that I love having a role model alumni to look up to. To see what Brandon has achieved for FIRST, his students, and continues to achieve for his old team, inspires me to do the same elsewhere in the country.

Thanks for being a great source of inspiration Brandon! (and the rest of our team's alum who continue to stay in FIRST )

[Brandon Holley]

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me in the past few days to offer their congratulations. Winning Mentor of the Year at the Indiana Robotics Invitational is a massive honor, and I'm humbled to have won it this year.

I have to thank my students for writing a moving essay, and to the IRI planning committee for offering the award and making a selection. I imagine that must be a very difficult undertaking.

-Brando

[Debbie]

Originally Posted by Chris Fultz

Congratulations to Brandon Holley for this award. !

Congratulations Brandon! I enjoyed meeting you and working with your team this weekend. :0

[Jefftron]

Brandon, Congratulations. A well deserved award and recognition. Jeff (from Textron)