Ready for the next step

Ethan+Naylor%2C+Senior+is+standing+in+front+of+their+robotics+team+laser+that+they+use+during+building+season.+Naylor+is+enjoying+the+last+moments+with+his+equipment+and+teammates+on+the+team.

Photo by Photo by Anthony Enciso

Ethan Naylor, Senior is standing in front of their robotics team laser that they use during building season. Naylor is enjoying the last moments with his equipment and teammates on the team.

After being on the Robotics team for four years, this senior is now on his final stretch at the high school and is ready to continue on his path to college.

Ethan Naylor, senior vice-president for the robotics varsity team. Naylor has used the opportunity to be part of the team to help him decide what he wants to study and has committed to Colorado State University, where he is going into a dual program to pursue chemical and biological engineering. Naylor’s enthusiasm on the team has made his involvement very important for the Robotics team as a whole.

“It’s been a wonderful experience and I have met a lot of people through it, but also it allows you to challenge and apply it to life, but in a meaningful and practical way that would compare to the real world,” Naylor said. It has gotten him more interested outside of school, which has lead him to doing extra research just for his amusement.

Through experiences Naylor has had, he has had a greater opportunity to keep challenging himself and to continuing on in this field and striving to get further every day.

As well of being an important brain on the team, he is “a good kid and a good fit for the team,” said Cameron Circo, senior on the robotics team.

“I really enjoy it. Personally it’s been one of my greatest experiences throughout high school, and if I could go back and do it all again, I would in a heartbeat because the people I’ve met, the things I’ve learned, things I’ve done through that team has really changed who I am as a person.” Naylor said.

Being vice-president, Naylor has many roles. He also has a role that oversees the JV team and helps new students. On top of that, he is one of the two mechanical captains on the varsity team who helps build the robot.

“Throughout my early years of school I’ve always had very good teachers in the STEM field and I was always so passionate to where I’d find myself searching stuff outside of school and really engaging myself in the sort of understanding of the world, and I saw it as a very exciting opportunity that anyone could participate in,” Naylor said.

Despite being in STEM since an early age, Naylor expresses he’s not the stereotypical “computer geek.”

“I certainly feel like it’s very misguided, but I personally don’t think I’m a part of that. But I also do believe that there may be some parts of the stereotype that may be true [about me]. But usually, the vast majority of it is false. Most people I know would probably be quite opposite of the stereotype and people who I’ve met through my experiences [in Robotics] has also challenged that stereotype greatly,” Naylor said.

Other teammates have a pretty good guess about Naylor’s goals in life.

“I have known Ethan since fifth grade, which is 8 years, and that’s a lot,” said Johnny Kasregis, senior on the robotics team. “[I] can guess that Ethan’s goals in life are probably to have strong relationships with his friends and be a team leader for the people around him.”

With these goals that Naylor has and the goals his teammates and friends can guess from his personality has really helped him get to where he stands now and what he sees in the future.

Naylor’s experiences have helped him get ready to continue forward on his path to life. Naylor joined robotics team because many of his friends wanted to do it and because he was always so passionate about STEM and he just thought that this would be a natural continuation, “I was fortunately correct…I enjoy science and math engineering. I find it very interesting and the whole world problem-solving aspect [solving problems other people find] is really appealing to me, and I really just try to engage myself in activities that can help fulfill the need to solve problems,” Naylor said.

Naylor guesses that the person that he is today, is just who he is and he can’t really attribute it to any specific event.

“I’ve always wanted to do this and I’ve always enjoyed it,” Naylor said, “So why not continue pursuing it, and if I could go back and do it all over again I would in a heartbeat. ”