CECS grad among '20 in their 20s'

The University of Michigan-Dearborn alumnus was nominated for a spot on Crain’s Detroit Business’ “20 in their 20s” list. Then again, so were more than 300 other young professionals across southeast Michigan.

“I knew it was highly competitive,” he said.

Crain’s informed Scott that he’d be notified in March as to whether he made the cut. So Scott, a systems engineer at the U.S. Army Robotic Systems Joint Project Office in Warren, anxiously checked his email last month.

On March 4, Scott was in his living room with his wife when an email notification flashed across his cellphone screen.

The wait was worth it. Scott, 29, made the cut.

“I immediately jumped up because I was so happy,” he said.

But because the “20 in their 20s” edition didn’t publish for a few weeks, Scott had to keep the honor a secret, which proved to be quite difficult.

The list since has been published, so Scott can spread the good news to his friends and family.

Scott leads a team that aims to standardize the controls and other systems in all robotic ground vehicles used by the U.S. Army, Marines and their contractors. Crain’s annually recognizes 20 young professionals who excel in southeast Michigan. UM-Dearborn sponsors the “20 in their 20s” program.