Members of the Arkansas Tech University robotics team present for a recent demonstration of their work were (photographed, from left-to-right) Ryan Nanthalangsy, Collin Easterling, Hunter Mathis, Juan Leon, Thomas Dang and Chris Osborne.

Three 2022 Hope Collegiate Academy graduates, Collin Easterling, Hunter Mathis, and Juan Leon, have helped the Arkansas Tech University robotics team earn a top-10 world ranking in the skills component of the competition during a VEX U event in Houston, Texas, in March. The trio transferred to ATU in the fall of 2022 to major in mechanical engineering.

The ranking helped clinch a berth to compete in the 2023 VEX U Robotics World Championship on April 27-29 at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. The 2022-23 VEX U robotics game is an enhanced version of disc golf. Robots distribute approximately 60 discs into targets and have opportunities to earn bonus points through additional applications.

“I cannot stress enough how thankful I am for the Collegiate Academy experience I had at UAHT,” Mathis said. “If I had come straight to a 4-year university from a traditional high school, I would have been in complete panic and fear at the extreme amount of work I have. However, everything now feels completely normal because I have already experienced what it is like to work hard and study for college classes. Taking college classes at the Collegiate Academy prepared me to succeed as soon as I stepped on the Arkansas Tech campus. I am incredibly grateful for my wonderful experience at the UAHT Collegiate Academy and highly recommend that others take advantage of this great opportunity.”

“The Collegiate Academy provided me with so many opportunities that most people don’t have,” Easterling said. “The academy is challenging, but it is rewarding in the end. It prepares you for the rigor of college and teaches you how to succeed at a university before you even get there. It helped me tremendously.”

“Deciding to become a student at the Collegiate Academy was a great decision for me,” Leon said. “The college workload is different from a traditional high school setting. We had to learn how to manage our time because we had much more homework, and it was more academically challenging. However, learning these lessons and becoming used to the rigorous standards all paid off in the end and prepared me to step onto ATU’s campus ready to succeed.”

Read the full article here: https://www.arkansastechnews.com/top-10-world-ranking-propels-atu-robotics-to-dallas/