Many know the robotics team Snakebyte 4546 for their willingness to help others, their team culture and their love of purple, but for the second time in a row, they have distinguished themselves by a member of their team earning the Second to None Award.
Senior Bowen Zheng earned the Second to None award, given to honor Matthew Vandegrift’s legacy, for his contributions to the Viperbots community and his team. This marks the second year the award has gone to a Snakebyte 4546 member. The award will be given on Valor Day on Tuesday, April 21.
“Our season went really well this year – we have a great team culture, and we had a working robot,” Zheng said. “For the first time ever, we had more than a week to do software before our last competition.”
Last year’s recipient, alumna Abigail Mack, organized the team’s meetings and taught her teammates – then three veterans and eight rookies – how to use Computer-Aided Design.
“Everyone on the team really liked Abby,” junior Trisha Gupta said. “She had to completely build the team from the ground up.”
Mack set hardware and organizational precedents that shaped Snakebyte’s future, and the team became an important part of her own journey as she pursued engineering in college.
“I think Viperbots made engineering and machining accessible to me,” Mack said. “They made it very interesting to learn, and that shaped why I went into mechanical engineering.”
Now a student at the University of Toronto, according to Mack, she often applies lessons from Snakebyte to her projects and leadership roles. Following in Mack’s footsteps, Zheng joined the Snakebyte hardware subteam from previously being a member on the software team. This season, Zheng completed more than half of the CAD design and most of the software for the team.
“I try to lead by example,” Zheng said. “I don’t ask other people to do tasks I wouldn’t do – that’s my guideline for leading the team.”
According to members, last year’s experiences built the team culture that carries Snakebyte forward today. Team bonding activities such as pickleball games and group dinners strengthened veterans’ and rookies’ connection beyond competition.
“I think everyone on the team nominated Bowen this year, and everyone nominated Abby last year,” Gupta said.
Outside of robotics, Snakebyte continues to lead by example through mentoring. They have mentored three middle school robotics teams – Penguinauts 32240, Robo Eagles 21816 and Cyber Eagles 8424 – throughout the season.
“I think Viperbots culture really creates a space that encourages people to pursue STEM and learn more about robotics,” Mack said. “Viperbots allows anyone with any skill level to come in and be part of the program.”
From Thursday all-nighters to trips to World FIRST Tech Challenge, Snakebyte has grown into a team that builds character as much as they build robots.
“The reason why Abby and Bowen got nominated is because our team has a very strong team culture,” Gupta said. “Everyone on the team [is] very close.”
