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 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 May 2024 with a double major in Computer Science and Physics.

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

Ransford is originally from Koforidua, Ghana. He moved to Charlottesville, Virginia with his parents as an infant. Currently, Ransford is working towards an Associate’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science.

Ransford has experience in teaching teens and kids how to code. Through NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) and Mrs. Early from Albemarle High School, Ranford taught middle schoolers to code a Sphero bots. He helped students to understand critical thinking and problem-solving skills to be able to guide the Sphero out of not just one maze but an array of mazes with the same code.

At Blue Ridge Boost, Ransford teaches coding and robotics classes for elementary and middle school students both in classes and camp. Ransford also serves as coordinator for camps.

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.

Saumya is a 4th year at the University of Virginia working towards a degree in Global Public Health and a minor in Computer Science. As a member of the community, Saumya has valued tutoring and working with students as a way to help bring the community forward by being involved in it. Saumya was on a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics team for 3 years and has continued her appreciation for Computer Science during my time at UVA.

At Blue Ridge Boost, Saumya coaches the FLL Challenge Team and teaches the Vex IQ robotics classes.

Scarlett lived in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and France, and graduated in 2024 from Albemarle High School, the Math, Engineering, and Science Academy. Scarlett is currently a student at the University of Virginia. Scarlett plans to study math and computer science, environmental science, political science, and French.

Scartlet runs Mathemagicians, a math club at the Northside Library for teens interested in STEM. Scarlett also completed an internship at a pharmacy in Arzens, France working with a shelf-stocking robot. Whether tutoring peers and neighbors in math or tinkering with 3D printers and welding equipment, Scarlett loves sharing her interest in technology and science with others!

Carter was born in Charlottesville and lived here his entire life. Carter is a senior at Albemarle High School and attends Center 1 for game design. At Albemarle, Carter plays tenor saxophone in the marching band, jazz band, and sax choir. Carter is also a programmer at Cavelier Robotics and in the Albemarle Key Club. Some of Carter’s greatest areas of interest are programming, game development, machine learning, and evolutionary algorithms. Carter also really enjoy math and how it is applied to describe various systems in nature. Carter also loves sharing my passion for STEM through various events such as Girls Geek Day, STEM Night, and now, Blue Ridge Boost!

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

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

Dorina is a member of the Next Level FLL Challenge Team, which won the Virginia Championship and will compete at the 2025 FIRST Championship. Dorina leads the Blue Ridge Robotics FIRST Tech Challenge Team, which earned a 2025 Control Award for programming and robot design, and co-leads the Aerial Drones Boballions Team, which qualified for the Northeast Regional Championship. 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.