SD-CoMETS Scholars - Greg Abad

Hello! I'm Gregory Abad, but everyone calls me Greg. I come from a small town in South Jersey called Sicklerville (about 20 minutes from Philadelphia and an hour from the shore). I am a first year Mechanical Engineering Technology major, as well as being a part of the BS/MS program. I chose to major in mechanical engineering technology because after attending a robotics summer camp in 2016, I discovered that engineering, and specifically robotics, was something I really enjoyed, and so it has been the career I have been pursuing ever since then. I opted for engineering technology because I've always been more of a hands-on learner, and it's almost like I have a need for my hands to be doing something. I think that being an SD-CoMETS scholar will greatly impact my RIT career, as it is not only giving me huge financial benefits, but also allows me to learn from people who have been a part of the industry and can offer me incredibly helpful tips on going forward with my career choice. The career I can see myself in is working someday is as an Imagineer at one of the Walt Disney Parks, helping to design, build, and maintain the amazing animatronics that the current Imagineers at Disney have developed. I have always enjoyed being the entertainer of my friend group, so what better way to marry my passions for robotics and entertainment than to work at a Disney park?

In 2021, I graduated from Camden County Technical School - GTC where I had been a member of my school's FIRST Robotics team (Team 203) since my freshman year, where I helped build the robots for competitions, went to the 2019 FIRST World Championship in Detroit, helped give a presentation for Lockheed Martin, was a counselor for the same robotics summer camp that got me interested in robotics, helped my team establish FIRST Lego League teams in our surrounding middle schools, and later hosted a competition for these same middle schools. I also was a part of one of my school's VEX Robotics teams, and in my junior year of high school I was a captain of one of these teams. More on the personal side, I enjoy playing the guitar (self-taught), watching movies, and spending time with friends.