Robotics Head Coach Elmer Santos awarded Mentor of the Year by the VEX Robotics Competition

It was not only our students who distinguished themselves at the recent VEX Robotics Competition in Iowa, where two teams were divisional semifinalists and a third a division finalist. Head Coach Elmer Santos was honored as Mentor of the Year.

 

Coach Santos has a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Cornell and a Master of Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford.  He began working with the Cranbrook Robotics program as a volunteer in 2001 when the program was still in its early stages and became Head Coach in 2017.

 

According to the VEX Robotics Competition, the Mentor of the Year award is presented to a mentor or engineer that has helped students achieve goals that were seemingly out of reach. This individual is a role model, a leader and an extraordinary mentor who helps show students new ways to expand their knowledge and solve problems in the world of STEM.  The nominations for the award are made by the teams’ students.

 

In response to receiving the award Coach Santos says “I am honored that the team felt that strongly about my work and put in the effort to make the nomination.  It was also gratifying to receive congratulations from the other coaches and volunteers that I’ve worked with throughout the years. I feel appreciated and I am thankful for the opportunity to mentor robotics at Cranbrook. I really enjoy working with our teams and I’m glad that they like working with me.”

 

Congratulations to Coach Santos!