Jay Rachakonda has always loved building things, from robots to community partnerships. Jay fell in love with robotics and engineering from a young age, and wanted to make sure his peers had the chance to see the fun in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as well. When Jay learned about the barriers that kept his friends and classmates from participating in STEM activities, including required programs costs and COVID protocols, Jay became committed to finding ways to overcome challenges and inspire others to give STEM activities a try.

Jay built on his long standing passion for STEM and robotics by taking a leadership role in Funbotics. He saw ways the program could be made more available for underserved and marginalized students, and dedicated his time, talent, and energy to making sure every student had the option to participate. “Jay’s passion for community impact drives his continuous desire to take Northern Virginia Funbotics to new heights,” describes Pranav Avasarala, the founder of Funbotics. When Jay joined Funbotics, there were less than 5 active volunteers and looming funding challenges. With a spirit of dedication, determination, and creativity, Jay secured new funding, connected with community partners, and inspired others to join as co-leaders and volunteers to expand availability of summer camp and regular school year programming. The Northern VA chapter of Funbotics is proud to now have over 50 active volunteers and an annual budget that supports program growth, due in great part to Jay’s contributions and service.

He continues to stretch beyond the school walls to make sure programming is widely available virtually and through local libraries, as well as garnering support from local companies and grant programs. Notably, the expansion and development of Funbotics programs is only part of what makes Jay such an asset to his community. Jay has also maintained a focus throughout his service to his school and his community on encouraging and inspiring students as the especially those hesitant about their STEM abilities. Numerous partners describe the influence Jay has on students, getting younger participants excited about STEM and encouraging them to find their passion. “Although small in the grand scheme of Jay’s work with Funbotics, [seeing the impact he had on a disinterested student] was one of the incidents that brought me to respect him as a  volunteer at heart, working through Funbotics because of a true desire for community impact and the smiles on kids’ faces,” says Tonya Kirkland, a community partner that worked with Jay to host a summer camp program. “As part of Funbotics, outside his organizational and leadership duties, Jay has influenced numerous students as an outstanding teacher.”