Jacob Belser, a 17-year-old senior at Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Illinois, eagerly anticipated his involvement in the Bright Minds Student Summit that took place in early May at RAPID + TCT at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
“I’m really excited to witness the future of additive manufacturing,” said Belser a few days before the event, “and I’m hoping to uncover groundbreaking technology that propels me toward a future of greater success.”
Belser and other members of his high school’s VEX Robotics Club attended the RAPID + TCT event along with Fernando Medina, who leads the club and serves as the school’s industrial technology teacher. As participants in the Bright Minds Student Summit, the students heard from industry keynote speakers and took part in guided show-floor tours of exhibiting manufacturing companies.
The youngest of four brothers — three of whom are following engineering paths of study — Belser has been focusing on high school classes that will prepare him for manufacturing and engineering jobs. “My freshman year, I focused on robotics, the hardware side of things,” he said. “My sophomore year, COVID took its toll, so I switched over to the programming side of robotics during my independent study.” This year, his senior year, Belser is taking AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC, and Advanced Programming, the next level of AP computer science.
A member of the Robotics Club for four years, Belser served as its president for the past two years, and led the club to two competitions. “Previous upperclassmen who had mentored me were gone, so I wanted to be the person who could help the new freshmen and sophomores,” he said. He also joined Stealth Robotics (stealthrobotics.org), a FIRST robotics team, his senior year.
Belser emphasizes the importance his family has played in helping him follow his interests, and in determining his career path. “My brother used his internship money to surprise me with a 3D printer on my birthday,” he said. “I took it as a sign that my family really believes in me, and I do not want to let them down.”
While Belser intends to major in computer science at the University of Chicago, he is seeking a remote internship opportunity for this summer. “I’d really like to enhance the skills that I’ve acquired in robotics, 3D printing and CAD,” he said.
“Long-term, I’d like to develop my leadership and critical thinking skills. As for my dream job, I’d have to say leading a team of brilliant and inspired engineers in a manufacturing company that’s creating cutting-edge technology.”