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GEARED UP Mentor Conference
Welcome to the GEARED UP: Mentor Conference, where innovation meets inspiration!

Join us on May 17, 2025, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Kossiakoff Center, for a day filled with knowledge-sharing, networking, and empowerment.

We want to hear from you! What topics are most important and critical for you? What topics can you share with the community? Help us program and plan the 2025 conference to be the most impactful yet.

This conference is proudly presented by Aramco America and aims to equip mentors with the tools and insights needed to effectively guide an increasingly diverse generation of students.
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The Spirit of Mentorship: Lessons from a Woodie Flowers Award Winner
Saturday May 17, 2025 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Outreach Room
What does it mean to be the kind of mentor who shapes lives far beyond the robot? Join Ken Lesley, FIRST Chesapeake’s 2025 Woodie Flowers Award Winner, as he shares reflections on mentorship, leadership, and the values that defined both Woodie Flowers' legacy and the heart of FIRST.

Drawing on decades of experience guiding students at McKinley Technology High School, Ken will discuss what it means to truly inspire—not just instruct—and how small moments of encouragement can change a student’s trajectory.

Whether you're a new mentor or a seasoned veteran, this session offers a powerful reminder of the impact you have — and the responsibility we all share to lift up the next generation with gracious professionalism, empathy, and wisdom.


Speakers
avatar for Kenneth Lesley

Kenneth Lesley

Director, Academy of Engineering, McKinley Technology High School-NASA Rover and Cell Phone Locker manufacturing summer internships. Coach of Firebird Rob
With a degree in mechanical engineering from MIT, Ken’s first career was in the petroleum industry. He became an expert at controlled directional drilling.  Ken transitioned into the software industry after traveling around the world for 15 years, making holes in the ground, and... Read More →
Saturday May 17, 2025 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Outreach Room 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, USA
  Presentation

Attendees (8)


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