Kavya Bansal
11th Grade
Hi! I’m Kavya Bansal, a junior at Renaissance High School. This is my third year being captain of the High Voltage Couch Bananas, and my fourth year being on the team. You could say I’m the “Jane of All Trades” on this team, though I am partial to the mechanical side because I love to build things and see them come to life beneath my fingers! I enjoy being on this team because it allows me to be creative and incorporate math and science into solving real-world problems, as well as being able to introduce others to STEM through our outreach. Some of my hobbies include reading novels, band, tennis, creative writing, and graphic design. I want to go to MIT for engineering and invent something amazing that will change the world.
Chinmay Tiwari
11th Grade
My name is Chinmay Tiwari, a 11th grader at Timberline High School. I’m a programmer for the High Voltage Couch Bananas, and I enjoy this role as it’s a chance to do hands-on problem solving. In my free time I like to write, rock climb, and play soccer.
Megan Baird
11th Grade
I’m Megan Baird, 17 years old, and a junior at Eagle High. I’m the head mechanical engineer on the team, but I know some coding as well. Robotics is a way to express creativity while getting the satisfaction from problem solving for me. I also love the team aspect and I’m excited for all the new rookies this year. I’m hoping to go into a field in STEM, specifically an engineer or research in the medical field. In addition to doing robotics, I’m part of the Boise Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, play for my schools tennis team and am on the varsity speech and debate team there too. I’m excited to learn more and have a fun year with the Bananas.
Kashvi Bansal
8th Grade
Hi! My name is Kashvi Bansal. I am 13 years old and I am in eighth grade at Heritage Middle School. I enjoy robotics as well as playing sports like volleyball, tennis and track. This is my second year on the team as a member of the mechanical team. I like robotics because it teaches me to think outside of the box and learn beyond what I can just learn at school. Robotics not only plays a role in my present life but what I want to do in the future. Although I don’t know exactly what I want to be when I grow up I know I want to pursue something surrounding biology and robotics prepares me for whatever path I choose to take, teaching me leadership, working as a team, and thinking outside of the box.
Sarah Baird
9th Grade
Hi! My name is Sarah Baird. I’m 15 years old, and I am a freshman at Eagle High School. This is my second year on the team, but my first as a programmer. I love doing robotics because of the friendships I make and the information I get to learn. It is satisfying knowing that I helped accomplish building our robot. Doing outreach for the team is also one of my favorite parts of robotics because of the connection it builds between me and the community. In my free time I read books, play tennis, piano, french horn, and hang out with my friends. When I grow up I want to be a environmental engineer or a software developer.
Sloan Goss
8th Grade
My name is Sloan and I am 13 years old. I live on a farm with chickens, ducks, longhorn cows, a dog, horses and my parents. I love photography especially of horses. I work on the mechanical side of the robot. The reason I like robotics is because it’s a world of endless possibilities and if you can dream it, you can build it. When I grow up I think I want to be a robotic engineer or a photographer, but I don’t know which one yet.
Sam Satterfield
8th Grade
I am Sam Satterfield. I am 14 years old and I go to Eagle Middle School. I just joined the team but so far I have been working on programing. I like robotics because it lets you use your creativity and when your project works you get to feel a sense of pride that something you just made actually works. When I am an adult I want to go into an engineering field such as Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and potentially a Computer Programmer.
Jaxon Ward
7th Grade
My name is Jax, I’m 12 years old, and I go to Rolling Hills. I like to draw, create card games, and build stuff. My role on the team is mechanical, so I help build the chassis, arms, and claws.
Richa Bansal
Mentor
I’m a Sun-certified Java programmer with a master’s in computer science and economics. But none of that is as fun as nurturing the curiosity of young kids. Who thought robots would be more fun than writing apps in Java? I have two beautiful daughters who share and support my passion and vision of having fun while learning. My motto in life is that if I can positively influence any kid’s life, I have done my part.
Raj Bansal
Mentor
Hi there, I am Raj and at 45, I am the oldest kid on the team!! Material Science engineer by training and semiconductor engineer by experience, I love learning new things, especially tech. Eternal optimist and first principle thinker. I love crazy ideas and especially making them a reality. I love robotics as it’s a great way to express oneself, be serious and silly at the same time and also change the world in a small way.
Chris Honcik
Mentor
I’m older than the Unix operating system (look it up, kids!). I’m older than the Basic programming language. I have a BS in Chemistry and a MA in Physics. I love to understand how things work – everything from biological organisms and systems to mechanical systems to software and AI. This is my 2nd year mentoring Bananas FTC, and I was a coach for FLL one year before that. I have been taking my kids to FRC Competitions since they were toddlers and am thrilled to be involved with the Bananas!
Sam Baird
Mentor
This is my 3rd year as coding mentor for the Bananas team. My interest in robotics started 15 years ago when I got a Lego NXT robotics kit. Ever since, I’ve loved tinkering on arduinos. raspberry pis, and 3d prints. My license plate even shows the level of commitment I have to robotics: ARDUIN0. Professionally, I am a software developer at Clearwater Analytics, and have been coding for 30 years. When I grow up, I want my own Crunch Lab where I can design fun robots like Mark Rober.
