We are the Pastabots
Meet the the Mentors and student leadership team!
Adult Mentors
Lauren Hamel
Head Coach & Technical Mentor
Ms. Hamel has been a physics teacher at The Woodlands High school since 2013 and has been mentoring FIRST Robotics teams since 2018. Ms. Hamel leads the robot design and build, oversees all team community outreach projects, and serves as the head team administrator. Ms. Hamel is a graduate of The Woodlands High School and Texas A&M University. Aside from building awesome robots and teaching AP Physics, Ms. Hamel enjoys hanging out with her two dogs, traveling, and restoring antiques.
Jennifer Davies
Assistant Coach & Finance Mentor
Mrs. Davies has taught chemistry and physics since 2002 and has been a TWHS faculty member since 2005. She has been the finance mentor for the Pastabots since 2020; she is primarily responsible for team finances and travel. Mrs. Davies is a native Houstonian and attended Westbury High School, followed by the University of Texas at Austin. When not at school, she enjoys swimming and traveling with her husband and two daughters. (She also taught Ms. Hamel in high school!)
New mentors wanted!
We are always looking for TWHS staff, parents, and community/industry volunteers willing to lend their time and expertise to our program. Volunteers would help to mentor students directly in their particular area of expertise - areas of interest include mechanical (design & build, CAD), programming (JAVA), and business (finance & marketing). For any inquiries, please contact Ms. Hamel at lhamel@conroeisd.net!
20223 - 2023 student LEADERSHIP
NickLas Di Tirro
President
Nick is a senior and will be the TWHS Robotics President for the 2022 - 2023 season. Nick became a Pastabot his junior-year in 2021. Nick specializes in programming and team operations, and is a leader of our program's outreach projects, including Pastabots Junior. In his free time Nick enjoys playing frisbee golf, riding his bike, and playing video games. Nick plans to major in electrical & computer engineering in college.
Lawrence Granda
Vice President & CAD Lead
Lawrence is a senior and will be the TWHS Robotics Vice President and CAD Lead for the 2022 - 2023 season. Lawrence became a Pastabot his junior-year in 2021 after moving to TWHS from Spain. Lawrence specializes in CAD; his CAD responsibilities involve designing robots (including custom parts for 3D printing), and training new team members in CAD. Lawrence is also heavily involved in our outreach projects, especially our Pastabots Junior Program. In his free time, Lawrence enjoys long walks on the beach, collecting Beanie Babies, and polishing Robotics Trophies. Lawrence plans to major in some type of engineering in college.
Hrishi Sahu
Programming Lead
Hrishi is a senior and will be the TWHS Robotics Programming Lead for the 2022 - 2023 season. Hrishi became a Pastabot his junior-year in 2021. Hrishi specializes in programming robots and training others how to program robots. In his free time, Hrishi enjoys playing soccer, going to the gym, and playing Minecraft. Hrishi plans to major in computer engeering in college.
Brianna Dickson
Media & Marketing Lead
Bri is a senior and will be the TWHS Robotics Media & Marketing Lead for the 2022 - 2023 season. Bri became a Pastabot her junior-year in 2021. Bri specializes in mechanics and team media/marketing (this includes managing team social media and coordinating with sponsors). Bri is also a member of the TWHS basketball and softball teams. Bri plans to major in electrical & computer engineering in college.
Nicholas Tyner
Underclassmen Liaison
Nicholas will be our Underclassmen Liaison for the 2022 - 2023 season. His responsibilities include: attending all events, sitting in on officer meetings and observing how the program is run, and eventually assisting other officers with their various duties. Nicholas is a sophomore who joined TWHS Robotics at the start of the 2022 school year after transferring to TWHS from The Netherlands. Outside of robotics, Nicholas enjoys photo and video editing, and is an expert in the Dutch sport of Paalzitten (look it up...). Nicholas hopes to pursue a STEM degree in the future.