Having been on the Gunn Robotics Team for three years, pursuing mechanical engineering seemed like the clear path for GRT captain Jacob Olshen. However, following a visit to the University of Washington, Seattle, where he plans to attend college, he now hopes to pursue electrical and computer engineering.

Olshen joined GRT after taking Introduction to Engineering Design in his freshman year, where he took a liking to computer-aided design. In sophomore and junior year, Olshen worked on mechanical design for the team’s drivetrain subgroup.

Through the robotics team — especially its startup-like organizational structure — Olshen has gained valuable experience for college and the tech industry.

“It is my dream to be part of a start- up, even if that startup fails,” he said. “And that’s how GRT operates. GRT has helped me understand what it would be like and also the challenges that I would face if I were part of or started a startup myself.”

Olshen appreciates the freedom GRT and high school have given him to explore various interests and make mistakes without having to fear the consequences.

“I’m lucky to have made the mistakes where the stakes are relatively low compared to my entire career,” he said. “If you don’t try a bunch of new things in high school such as GRT, or even multiple aspects within GRT, then you’re not going to make the most of the few years that you have where the stakes are low.”

Though he has enjoyed being able to physically interact with the systems around him through mechanical engineering, Olshen is also interested in delving into the ever-growing theoretical fields of electrical and computer engineering in college.

“It’s a little bit less tangible — and that’s why mechanical engineering has had such a pull, because I can understand that — but electrical engineering is just completely high in the sky, and that’s what I really want to understand,” he said.