I never imagined that one day I’d be mentoring a robotics team—let alone guiding them to victory. Horne Noah told ANN .Yet here I am, standing proudly alongside the students of Mountain View Adventist Academy (MVAA) as they make history, winning the inaugural NCTI Robotics Competition. And honestly? It feels like everything has come full circle.
My own journey into tech started years ago. I was just a curious kid, fascinated by how things worked. That curiosity grew into a passion when I attended the STEM Summer Program, and it deepened even further during the 2018 Isquare now ICode App Development Competition hosted by the NTRC. That year, my cousin Myles Jones and I built Agri Marketplace—a mobile app that connects farmers directly with buyers.
It wasn’t just a cool tech idea—it was personal. Our grandmother, a regional exporter of agricultural produce, inspired the app. We had watched her struggle to get her goods to market, and we wanted to make that process easier—for her and for farmers like her across the region.
Winning national recognition for that app was amazing, but what really stayed with me was the realization that technology could be a tool for solving real-world problems. That seed stayed planted in me.
Fast forward to now, and I find myself with the MVAA robotics team—not as a competitor, but as a mentor. I saw so much of myself in these students: bright, driven, and full of potential, just waiting for someone to believe in them. I wanted to be that someone.
My goal wasn’t just to teach them how to build or code. I wanted them to learn how to think critically, solve problems creatively, and work as a team. We spent countless hours together—planning, troubleshooting, iterating. With every challenge, they grew more confident, more capable. And all that hard work paid off—we won.
But this win wasn’t about me. These students earned it. They put in the work. Their teachers, administrators, and parents gave them the support they needed. I was just blessed to be part of the journey.
This victory is more than just a trophy. It’s proof of what can happen when young people are inspired, empowered, and given the chance to create something meaningful.
So yes—my journey has come full circle. From a young coder building an app with his cousin, to mentoring the next wave of innovators. I’m proud of how far I’ve come. But I’m even more excited to see where they go next.
