River Araujo '24

River Araujo of Acton, a junior in the Engineering Technology career major, watched a presentation about Minuteman High School as an eighth grader and knew immediately that the school would be the right choice. “I was stuck on engineering. I was like, ‘this is awesome! I get to do this in high school!?” River said. “I went home and told my parents that I was super interested. I’m pretty sure I signed up the same day.”

During his first two years at Minuteman, River has excelled in the Engineering program and helped launch the FIRST Robotics after-school club. Now in its second year, FIRST Robotics is a group of students who build a robot that competes in the annual, nationwide FIRST Robotics Competition.

“In FIRST Robotics, we build community amongst ourselves, we go to competitions and we have a good time,” River said. “Last year, I wired an entire robot by myself and I didn’t have any electrical experience. That was amazing and I was super proud of myself after finishing that.”

River Araujo, center, is pictured with the FIRST Robotics Team in the spring of 2021.

River has also competed in the SkillsUSA statewide engineering competitions and has grown a passion for using CAD (Computer Aided Design) to find innovative ways to use everyday products. River even used CAD to design scissors that would be easier for preschool students to use in Minuteman’s Colonial Children’s Academy. “I really love engineering because it’s innovative,” River said. “We’re creating new things and we’re fixing problems. I want to use my skills as an engineer to help the world.”