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This summer, Hamilton High School rising senior Kasey Thomas stepped outside the classroom and into the real world — and walked away with an impressive win.

Kasey recently participated in the Ottawa Area Intermediate FuturePrep’d iChallengeU program, a two-week experience that connects high school students with local businesses to solve real-world challenges. His team, which was paired with JR Automation's Waverly location in Holland, was named the overall winner out of eight competing groups.

Their driving question: How can JR Automation engage students in STEAM activities to create meaningful connections during facility tours? Kasey and his teammates worked closely with JR Automation’s Talent Acquisition staff and engineers to develop a hands-on solution — a challenge-based LEGO game that guides students through the engineering design process. The activity is designed to get progressively more complex, pushing middle and high school students to think creatively, solve problems, and learn the basics of automation in an interactive way.

“This program really helps you understand how businesses function,” said Kasey. “You’re solving real problems, working in teams, and learning how to present your ideas with confidence.”

Stephanie Kirt, Talent Acquisition Specialist at JR Automation, said the company has partnered with FuturePrep’d iChallengeU for over a decade as a way to give back to the community and invest in the future workforce. “Presenting solutions to businesses is not easy — even for professionals,” she said. “What Kasey and his team accomplished shows the level of professionalism, teamwork, and critical thinking we’re proud to support.”

115 students from around the Ottawa Area ISD participated in the 2025 iChallengeU program at 15 different companies across West Michigan. The culminating presentations were judged by business leaders and community partners, with Kasey’s team selected as the top group.

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