Nitai (center holding the certificate), celebrates the win with his team.

The Raytheon Autonomous Vehicle Competition is one of the most prestigious events in the technical sector, bringing together top engineering talent from across the southern U.S. Universities from Alabama to El Paso sent their brightest senior students to compete in this high-stakes event, where innovation and precision are key.

For Nitai, a 20-year-old bhakti practitioner, leading his 16-member team from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) to secure first place was nothing short of extraordinary—and a clear testament to the power of spiritual values in a high-pressure, competitive environment.

The challenge was both intense and complex: design an autonomous system that would enable one drone to search a stadium-sized field for a “wounded soldier” (identified by a hidden QR code) and relay the coordinates to a second autonomous rover, which would then navigate the terrain and deliver medical supplies. Teams were judged on speed, accuracy, and technical design.

After two semesters of preparation, competition day arrived. Nitai’s team had 45 minutes on the field to perform as many runs as necessary, adjusting along the way. The first attempt dropped the medical kit too far from the target. The next time, the rover moved too slowly. A pause followed each run, and the team got to work fixing bugs and tweaking solutions on the fly.

But through it all, Nitai stayed remarkably focused and calm. His strength stood out so clearly that his colleague noted, “You looked like a CEO out there.”

A decade earlier, at just 10 years old, Nitai had competed in the University of Tulsa Drone Competition. When a difficult round triggered overwhelming frustration, he slammed a chair into the ground. This was when Leadership Parenting, a bhakti-based framework, was developing.

His parents held the space for him to work through those emotions and were amazed at how he learned to navigate challenge after challenge. Leadership Parenting continues to help parents, teachers, and leaders guide their dependents to high achievement while maintaining emotional balance and spiritual awareness.

Nitai is also a graduate of TKG Academy, a bhakti-based private school in Dallas. He spent his entire childhood learning from powerful bhakti educators. His success at the Raytheon competition is a result of his deep technical knowledge and years spent cultivating self-mastery through the lens of bhakti values: focusing on process over outcome, emotional regulation, and a commitment to service, even under pressure.

“In engineering, process is everything,” Nitai reflected after the awards ceremony. It’s a lesson at the heart of both engineering and bhakti yoga. Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita is encouraged to act without attachment to the results and to offer his efforts as service. 

Leadership Parenting teaches that bhakti isn’t just about spiritual success; it’s about applying core values to solve real-world problems. Whether in the classroom, workplace, or an engineering competition, the principles of bhakti can guide individuals toward excellence in any endeavor. Nitai’s leadership at Raytheon is a perfect example of how spiritual consciousness can foster material success, and both can be used to uplift others. Spiritual growth and material achievement are not mutually exclusive.

Readers interested in learning more about Gopi Gita’s Leadership Parenting program, please visit her website यहाँ. Teachers and parents can also download free Amazon Best Sellers: Leadership Parenting और Leadership Teaching by clicking यहाँ.