Sophomore Henry Hermes has always been interested in all things STEM related. Throughout his school career, he has taken any opportunity that has come his way. Ever since he was a child, he has been intrigued by aircraft and wants to learn to be a pilot when he’s older.

“I’m quite interested in doing [do it yourself] technological stuff, like building robots,” Hermes said.

During his middle school years, Hermes took part in the Lego Robotics team. Continuing into high school, Hermes participates in both FTC Robotics and TSA.

“This is my third year of doing both FTC Robotics and TSA. If I do it for the rest of my high school years, I’ll have done it for five years since I started in eighth grade,” Hermes said.

Being involved with robotics has also strengthened Hermes’ interest in STEM.

“I find these activities enjoyable because they represent an immense interest in the STEM fields for me. It’s also a good way for me to express my creative outlets in creating nice looking, but still functional, designs,” Hermes said.

With his great interest in technology and robotics, winning at TSA and Robotics competitions comes easy to Hermes. He has won second in the state in Dragster Design and has competed at the national level for Technology Problem Solving. He has also won second in the state for Mass Production. Along with these accomplishments, he’s also proud of building his PC from nothing.

“I would probably say that my track record at winning things in TSA is [something] I’m pretty proud of,” Hermes said.

While participating in STEM related competitions and continuing to express his interest in that area, he also has another interest and a possible career path in the future; flight and piloting have always held a significance for Hermes. He enjoys going to museums and exhibits related to aerospace and is always willing to learn more about this topic.

“I’ve been considering applying for an Air Force ROTC scholarship [because] it’s free college, which is nice,” Hermes said. “I have a deep interest in military aerospace, and flying jet fighters is probably one of the best ways to express that interest.”