Granite Edvance Scholarship winner Timothy MacKay: ‘We basically started from nothing’

Robots may be capable of a lot of things, but they weren’t doing so hot at recruiting new members to robotics club at Conant High School in Jaffrey a couple of years ago. When Timothy MacKay joined the club during his sophomore year, he was one of only two members.  

“We basically started from nothing,” said Timothy, winner of a Granite Edvance Leadership Scholarship and first-year student at Worcester Polytech Institute in Worcester, Mass.  

With schools closed due to the COVID pandemic during his 9^th grade year, Timothy had decided to get involved in extracurriculars rather than sit around doing nothing after class. Back in school his 10^th grade year, he joined robotics club because he loved building things, not realizing he’d first have to rebuild the club itself. He and his fellow club member made flyers, conducted outreach, and joined forces with the middle school club, slowly, building the membership back up. For the next three years, the club made it to the state robotics competition every year – and Timothy set his sights on a career in robotics engineering.  

“I didn’t really know what I was going to do at all until robotics club,” he said. “It’s really fun to have a challenge and build something to solve it.”  

Timothy has also continued being active in extracurriculars as well as community events and projects. As president of his school’s chapter of the National Honor Society, he helped plan a basketball event called “Hoops for Hope,” which raised over $5,000 for kids with cancer, and helped plan and build a playground at a park in town.  

“You meet a lot of people as a volunteer, and one opportunity leads to another,” Timothy said. “It feels good to help people.”