2024 Ambassadors
We are thrilled to announce our four new 2024 ROAR Ambassadors, Derek Chen, Mark Menaker, Lynna Xu, and Christopher Zhang. They will work closely with our ROAR faculty and graduate students to bring the ROAR experience to their respective high schools with our technical and financial support.
Derek Chen,
Sophomore at Burlingame High School (Burlingame, California)
Derek Chen is a sophomore at Burlingame High School. He has attended the 2023 ROAR Academy and has currently participated in the Summer 2023 ROAR Racing Competition. He is on his school’s robotics team, and in his free time, he enjoys taking walks in nature as well as swimming and playing chess.
Mark Menaker,
Sophomore at University High School (Irvine, California)
Mark Menaker is a sophomore at University High School in Irvine, CA. He attended the ROAR Academy and successfully competed in the Simulation Racing Series in summer 2023. Mark is in the enhanced math program at his school, and is involved in math competitions, science fairs, Science Olympiad and Ocean Science Bowl. He has earned President’s Volunteer Service Awards for promoting STEM activities in his community. Mark enjoys playing the tenor saxophone in his school’s Wind Ensemble and Marching Band. He is a Formula 1 fan, who brings his passion for cars and enthusiasm for coding to the ROAR Ambassador Program.
Lynna Xu,
Sophomore at Sonoma Academy (Santa Rosa, California)
Lynna Xu is a sophomore at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, California. She has participated in the 2023 ROAR Academy Summer Session and competed in the Summer 2023 Simulation Racing Series. In addition to coding, she is also interested in the VEX Robotics competition, having competed in this field for 3 years and been to the World Championships twice. In her free time, Lynna enjoys many activities such as playing piano and tennis.
Christopher Zhang,
Sophomore at The John Cooper School (The Woodlands, Texas)
Christopher Zhang is a Sophomore at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, Texas. He participated in the 2021 Summer ROAR competition. He enjoys hanging out with friends and golfing every once in a while.
Responsibilities
Expanding Interest in Autonomous Driving Technologies
Our ambassadors will focus on expanding ROAR outreach within their high schools by taking on leadership roles.
Participate in ROAR Activities to Test your Solutions
Our ambassadors will participate in ROAR Competitions to actively test their solutions and ideas.
Peer Coaching
Our ambassadors will teach and share ideas on Autonomous Driving issues and other engineering topics to discover better solutions.
Make a Difference
Our ambassadors will look to make a difference in their high schools by bringing more interest into STEM and Computer Science subjects with their peers.
