Blue Ridge Boost Team

Nora is originally from Bucharest, Romania. She earned a B.Sc. in Computer Science at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest and moved to Charlottesville in the Fall of 2004 to pursue graduate school at the University of Virginia where she earned a Master's in Computer Science in 2006, a Master of Science in Mathematics in 2014, and a Master of Teaching in 2022. Nora [published several research articles in computer science](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=BTsjtmgAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao) and has several years of industry experience as a software developer. Nora has extensive teaching experience as Lecturer in the Mathematics Department at UVA, Algebra teacher at Peabody School, math student-teacher at Monticello High School, and a teaching assistant in Computer Science at UVA.

At Blue Ridge Boost, Nora selects and develops class content, coaches the robotics competition teams, teaches advanced math and computer science classes, and tutors students in math and computer science.

Lain graduated from the University of Virginia in 2024 with a double major in Computer Science and Physics. They are interested in the use of programming and simulation to expand our understanding of the physical universe. Originally from Appalachia, they care deeply about accessibility of education, and the importance of inclusivity in STEM. Lain is the oldest of five siblings, and has spent years supporting their education and encouraging their love for learning.

At Blue Ridge Boost, Lain is involved with web development and programs custom professional tools. They design and create class content, provide one-on-one tutoring in math and physics, and teach math, robotics, and computer science both at Blue Ridge Boost and on-site at local schools.

David is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Virginia where he teaches classes in Discrete Mathematics, Computer Science, Theory of Computation, and Artificial Intelligence (among other topics) and leads research on computer security and privacy. He won an All-University Teaching Award and Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

At Blue Ridge Boost, David helps instructors develop computing, math, and cryptography courses, teaches classes when he can, moves furniture, edits ChatGPT’s writing, and makes sure there is yummy food for the CEO and Teaching Assistant.

Dorina is a eight-grader at St. Anne’s-Bellfield School. She is passionate about robotics and mathematics.

Dorina is a member of the Next Level FLL Challenge Team, which won the Robot Design Award at the 24-25 FIRST Championship. Dorina leads the Blue Ridge Robotics FIRST Tech Challenge Team, which earned a Control Award for programming and robot design in January 2025, and co-leads the Aerial Drone Team, which qualified for the Northeast Regional Championship in 2025. At the 2024 Girls Excelling in Math (GEM) competition, Dorina earned first place in the individual competitions, first overall in team rankings, and third place in team engineering.

Ouzman is a second year at the University of Virginia. He is studying for a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Ouzman has great interest in Rocketry, CAD, and robotics.

1st year at PVCC, pursuing associates of CS and planning on transferring to a 4 year for computer science. Grew up in little ol’ Greene County just north of Charlottesville. Coder and former coding captain of FTC Team Monroe Robotics.

Joseph is a 2nd year student at the University of Virginia on the pre-med track, studying psychology. He is from Fairfax, Virginia, and has interests in dancing and music.

As graduate from UVA’s School of Engineering, Asher works at Blue Ridge Boost as an instructor & programmer.

Nathaneal is a second-year student at the University of Virginia.

Evan is a senior at Western Albemarle High School and a Community Scholar at the University of Virginia, with interests in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics. He began his journey in FIRST through FLL, where he also founded the YouTube channel Wordynerd48 to share robotics mechanisms and tutorials. He later competed in FTC for two years, earning a 1st Place Design Award with his team.

Currently, Evan competes in FRC as the Build Captain of Team 619, Cavalier Robotics. At Blue Ridge Boost, he mentors FLL and FTC teams, teaching robot design and game strategy. Outside of robotics, Evan enjoys boxing, playing the piano, and baking.