What is a Mentor?
Our mission is to create programs that give young people skills, confidence, and resilience to build a better world, and mentors are a key component to that in FIRST ® Robotics Competition. Adult mentorship is part of what makes FIRST ® so effective, and it’s been core to our programs from the very beginning. This is also true for the support given to teams by non-technical mentors in areas like logistics, business planning, fundraising, and outreach. Part of being successful as an organization is knowing what you are and knowing what you aren’t. FIRST Robotics Competition is not a program where youth build a robot exclusively on their own to compete against another robot built exclusively by youth. It is a program where youth work both with each other and with adult mentors who help them learn new skills and grow as individuals.
Our Mentors!
Kevin McKay
FOUNDING MENTOR
Mentor Since 2014
Kevin is a 2001 & 2005 graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Electrical & Computer Engineering and an MS in Electrical Engineering & Engineering Management. He's also a 2010 graduate of Temple University with an MBA and a Juris Doctorate. He currently works at Boeing as an Aerospace Systems Engineer and co-founded the team in 2014 with his good friend, and fellow Boeing employee, Andy Windhausen to help Bensalem students build Skynet..
Fun Fact: Can't tell time
Virginia McKay
LEAD MENTOR
Mentor Since 2015
Virginia is a 2006 graduate of Stony Brook University with a BS in Political Science & American History and currently works as a Senior Associate for an insurance company. She joined the team in 2015 as a way to spend quality time with her husband, Kevin. In the robotics lab she can be found doing a wide variety of things from writing press releases and organizing team travel to teaching students to how to analyze data in Excel/Tableau.
Fun Fact: Was batgirl for the New York Yankees in 1993
Steve Rosenberg
FABRICATION & INTEGRATION MENTOR
Mentor Since 2016
Steve went to the School of Hard Knocks. He might be a full time tinkerer, but for work he is a Parts Manager, Prototyper, and R&D for a Wrecker Building Co.. As a mentor he loves seeing the shy kids learn a new skill and become a leader of their team.
Fun Fact: Knows a little about a lot of things
John Winward
ELECTRICAL & INTEGRATION MENTOR
Mentor Since 2018
Jim majored in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University and is employed by NSWCPD (Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division) where he has over 30 years experience working with U.S. Navy shipboard machinery systems. He began mentoring the team because he was impressed with the FIRST organization, and the real world experience that students get.
Fun Fact: Got volunteered for the team by his wife
Kathy Seidman
INTEGRATION & SAFETY MENTOR
Mentor Since 2019
Kathy majored in Chemical Engineering at Drexel University. She has over 20 years experience being a HEUR Technology Specialist at Dow, supporting the development of a thickener for paints. Mentoring the team, she finds it rewarding to inspire and support the ideas of the next generation. Each year she loves being amazed by the accomplishments of the students in such a short times and their passion for robotics.
Fun Fact: Has taken vacation days to play the latest video games
Katherine Matvekyina
OPERATIONS & OUTREACH MENTOR
Mentor Since 2022
Katherine is an alumni of the team, being a member in 2019. She went to Drexel University and majored in Business Administration, with a focus on Business Innovation and Engineering. Today, she supports resident services at WHHOA. She loves mentoring to give students opportunities to develop their passions and enjoys supporting the inclusive environment of the team.
Fun Fact: Sells Pokémon cards at card shows
James Chi
FABRICATION MENTOR
Mentor Since 2022
James went to Rutgers University for Physics, Astrophysics, and Mathematics. Now he works for Raytheon Technologies. As a mentor he enjoys being able to see the young people grow and become something better than they were.
Fun Fact: Raises chickens
Natalie Ralston
DESIGN MENTOR
Mentor Since 2023
Natalie is an alumni, being a member on team from 2014-2018. She went to Widener University for Robotics Engineering & Electrical Engineering. Currently, she is an electrical engineer at NDI Engineering. As for the team, she loves to help the students not only think creatively but also develop a passion for STEM just like the team did for her previously. Her mentorship and dedication inspired the team, which led her to be nominated for and win the FMA Donald Bowers award.
Fun Fact: Bad at fun facts
James Kane
SOFTWARE & SAFETY MENTOR
Mentor Since 2023
James has been involved in Team 5401 since his freshman year of high school in 2015, when the team was founded. While he was a student on the team, he helped create the teams’ safety program where he served as the first safety captain & his senior year he served as the second Program Manager. For school he went to Penn State Main to study Human-Centric Design and Development and currently works for Ford Motor Company as a Software Engineer.
Fun Fact: Works for the Philadelphia Eagles
Eric Rosenberg
SOFTWARE & DRIVE MENTOR
Mentor Since 2023
Eric is one of our alumni and was on the team from 2015-2019. Although he has returned to the team as a mentor, he is currently studying for a BS in Computer Engineering at Penn State University. He loves how mutually beneficial mentoring is for him, experiencing the next generation of talented STEAM students while also applying the principles of teaching in later learning concepts.
Fun Fact: Participated in Penn State's Ri3D 2024
John Winward
SOFTWARE MENTOR
Mentor Since 2024
John is an alumni of the team, he was on the team from 2019-2020. He majored in Computer Science at East Stroudsburg University. For work now he is a Software Engineer for Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific. He enjoys being able to give the same guidance to the students that previously helped him. Being able to contribute to the team that made him who he is today is something he loves to do.
Fun Fact: A Jim Winward is his dad