Get ready, Texas! Make48 is bringing its innovation competition to the Lone Star State for the first time this weekend. Teams will tackle the “Backyard Brilliance: Powered by the Sun” challenge at our fantastic host location, Vandermont, and we can’t wait to see the incredible inventions they create.
Get ready for some serious creativity and ingenuity as six talented teams go head-to-head. Let's meet the contenders!
Those Guys: Abe Goggans, Levi Payne, Gavin Shaw, and Team Captain, Julian Oliva.
Tippy Toe Titans: Addie Walden, Grace Dorvil, Kobe Pal,o and Team Captain, Serap Ogut.
Three Musketeers: Autumn Jones, Kinley Dedrick, and TeamCaptain, Sandra Futwi.
Power Puff Girls: MK (Mary) Austin, Faith Dorvil, Ava Walden, and Team Captain, Makayla Blackwell.
Bolts & Brains: Malachi Goggans, Greyson Goggans, Anthony Perea, and Team Captain, Ryan Resendiz.
The Other Guys: Ben Goggans, Rylan Bess-Vick (Hagaman), Liam Shaw, and Team Captain, Rahim Latreche.
These teams are ready to bring their A-game and showcase their skills. Teams will be led by a Team Captain from the SMU's Thrive Scholars Program. Who will emerge victorious? We're on the edge of our seats to find out! (read more about the teams here)
This wouldn't be possible without the amazing support from Vandermont and its leadership team. A huge shoutout to: Mandy Goggans, Evan Dalrymple, and Andrew Podoll. Their dedication to fostering innovation is truly inspiring.
Our talented Tool Techs are essential to the competition's success. We're excited to welcome back veterans like Tyler Isaacs (Wooden Whiskers), Adam Kittrell (NLR Library), Luis Rodriguez (Ultimaker/Makerbot), Aaron Brown (ShopBot Tools), and Matt Rohr (Onshape), alongside new faces from Ultimaker/Makerbot (Christina Santa Lucia), Reinvented Inc. (Caeley Looney), Bestagon Hub (Manuel, Ian & Nick), and Epilog Laser.
We also extend our gratitude to Southern Methodist University and Seth Orsborn for providing their talented students: Kristian Perez, David Berberian, Walter Josue Herrera, Michael Llanes, Johanna Gulliksson, and Case Hoogland. Working alongside our Tool Techs, these SMU students will provide crucial support and technical expertise throughout the competition, helping the teams leverage tools like ShopBot Tools, Ultimaker/Makerbot 3D printers, Dynamism filament, Onshape software, and the Epilog Laser.
Stay tuned for updates throughout the weekend as we follow the teams' progress and witness the birth of some remarkable inventions. Get ready for Texas-sized innovation at Make48's Vandermont competition! https://www.make48.com/2025-vandermont
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About Vandermont
Vandermont is a design-centered and competency-based innovative K-12 21st-century private Christian school focused on developing each learner’s God-given talents and interests by integrating competency-based curriculums through Inquiry and Design-Thinking pedagogies. Through a learner-led and student-centered model, they apply real-life skills to offer a purposeful education and give freedom to students to dive deep into their education by being curious, creative, collaborative, and empowered to take charge of their learning, all while providing a meaningful, joyful, relaxed, but rigorous environment. Their approach to education assesses students based on their ability to demonstrate skills and knowledge as opposed to completing traditional basic coursework.
About Make48
Make48 is a nationwide invention-competition docuseries that challenges teams to turn their ideas into reality in just 48 hours. During the three-day event, participants must design a prototype, create a promotional video, and prepare a sales sheet to present their concept to a panel of judges. Teams have access to a state-of-the-art makerspace, skilled Tool Techs who can bring almost any vision to life, as well as patent attorneys, marketing experts, and other invaluable resources. This unique format ensures a level playing field, where creativity and teamwork shine, making it accessible to everyone—no prior technical expertise is required.
Make48 Media Contact:
Cassandra Muñoz
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