Like many kids his age, Johnson High School freshman Justin Ambrozaitis loves Minecraft. While on the surface, it’s a very popular video game, it’s also a blank canvas for students like Justin to design and build whatever they can dream up.
Lately, Justin has been dreaming up an exact replica of the Detroit Metropolitan Airport – one of the biggest airports in the U.S. He’s a member of Team Aireos, a group of teens who recently won 1st place in the Global Airport Design Challenge administered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“This airport had to contain all of the details from its real-life counterpart, as well as our own innovations to improve airport operations and safety,” explained Justin. “Students were required to use a 1:1 ratio to match this detail, so every Minecraft block represented one square meter of the real airport.”
The design process was intensive and heavily detailed. In order to achieve their overall goal, all five members of the team had to communicate and follow through on their part of the project. Justin says the design phase alone taught him many valuable skills. He also credits his time at Johnson and Tex Hill Middle School with giving him the confidence to challenge himself.
“The teamwork skills that I learned through this project will serve as major tools in my journey ahead. The supportive environment at Johnson, as well as Tex Hill, inspired me to become more confident and more ambitious with my endeavors. Because of this, I have continued to challenge myself and continue to work at improving my abilities.”
On March 16, Justin will travel to Detroit to be recognized for his 1st place win by the Detroit Metropolitan Airport Authority. Justin also received a certificate from Governor Greg Abbott.
Congratulations, Justin!
