Author: Conner Gauthier
J.P. Taravella High School, Coral Springs, Florida
AR Cup 2025 Team 8
For the past month, I have had an amazing opportunity to participate in the 2025 National Youth Airborne Robotics sponsored by the Zhejiang University Alumni Association of the Washington DC area and the Capital Youth Outreach Club. I discovered this opportunity while looking on WeChat for additional programs offered beyond those of my local HSK testing center. I’ve heard that ZJU is a highly respected global University and that many important research articles are published by its graduates. To be even the smallest part of this program, I feel will change the course of my future.
The leader of our program, Professor Yao, a ZJU alumni and Professor at George Mason University, told us during the orientation meeting that blimps are great they can be friendly and safe helpers, perfect for helping humans especially for indoor use. As a student interested in Chinese culture, this sounds a lot like what I hope for myself.
Once the summer ends I will soon be a 9th student at J.P. Taravella High School in South Florida. I hope to be a peaceful ambassador representing my own culture while learning about and embracing another culture.
My fellow team members of “Mr. Nose Net #8” have been so welcoming to me. Even though I live in Florida and they live mostly in the Maryland area, they have included me in every meeting virtually. They have included me i n our team WeChatgroup, where parents discuss coordination efforts in Mandarin Chinese, exposing me to new Chinese words everyday. Their ideas and questions have inspired me to think harder and longer than ever before.
I hope for much success on competition day which is being held August 17th 2025, but I already feel that this program has been so rewarding. Even though my future can seem far away, this seems like a great first step. I hope that in some small way, my participation can help build bridges for the future. I hope to gain new friends and knowledge. Most of all, I hope that one day I too can have the opportunity to write my own chapter in the shared future of humanity.
This event/article was supported by the CIAO Lab at GMU, the Zhejiang University Alumni Association of the Washington DC Area, and the Capital Youth Outreach Club.
Website Editor: Sophia Wang
华府青年 CYOC 
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