Coppell High School senior Science Olympiad captain Mytri Nair is passionate about many things. She has been doing Bharatanatyam, a form of Indian classical dance, since she was 3 years old, and takes part in ballroom, salsa, hip-hop, freestyle, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Egyptian and Bollywood dance styles. Nair participates in For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition on team BBQ as a member of the hardware team. She also competed in FIRST Lego League in third and fourth grade in Nashua, New Hampshire, developing her passions from a young age. 

How has your experience in Science Olympiad been?

I’ve been doing Science Olympiad since sixth grade. It was the entirety of my Coppell Middle School West career and was something I focused on. In ninth grade, the last competition before we went into lockdown was my favorite memory from high school because of all of the connections I made. In high school, after COVID, I was upset because the club was gone, so I met some upperclassmen who helped me restart the club. Last year, I was Beta Team Captain because I wanted to give back to my community and because the club had done so much for me. It has followed me around since middle school; it sparked my passion for engineering. 

How has your experience in FIRST Robotic Competition been?

I joined FRC in June and got to see our warehouse in August. So far, I’ve been helping with hardware and finding parts online. Even though it is my first and last year, I want to figure out a way to give back to the team. The recent competition we went to in North Texas was really fun. The first day was STEM Gals, so it was girls only. Since it was my first competition, I had a lot of fun being a human player. On the second day of the competition, I lost my voice. It was easy to observe our team and see how everyone reacted. Since I am a very vocal person, I feel like not being able to speak helped me understand more about communication in our team. 

How have your various activities influenced your career path?

Science Olympiad definitely has given me a passion for engineering. I have been applying for a mechanical engineering major, but my backup is architecture because the Boomilever and Towers events in Science Olympiad helped me understand that I like to build. 

What advice would you give the younger generation?

I would say to pick one thing and stick with it. One of my biggest issues is that I have an interest in quite literally everything. If I had used my time more wisely, I could have understood that Science Olympiad requires some sacrifice on my part. I would also say to make sure that your passions don’t die. You never know when life is going to put you on a different path, but if you follow your passion, it will be a good investment no matter what. Make sure to put effort and time into your passions. 

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