Eric Principato to attend Princeton University in September
By Rachel Lavery, Special Writer
ROBBINSVILLE — Eric Principato, a 2012 Robbinsville High School graduate bound for Princeton University next week, has won a $24,000 PSEG engineering scholarship.
Eric, was the CEO and Drive Team captain of the RHS Nemesis FIRST Robotics Team 2590. At Princeton, he will major in engineering and is leaning toward mechanical engineering.
The PSEG Engineering Award is given to graduating high school seniors in New Jersey who are interested in pursuing a degree in engineering. It can be awarded to up to six seniors each year. Each recipient is awarded a $24,000 scholarship stipend to be distributed over a four-year period, $6,000 per year per student.
Recipients will volunteer at PSEG-sponsored events, have the opportunity to apply for internships with PSEG, and be matched with a current PSEG employee for a mentoring relationship. Eric’s mentor will also have attended Princeton University and have similar interests and field of study.
Eric recently attended the PSEG Scholars & Educators Recognition Event at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, as part of his award.
RHS Robotics Team Supervisor/Technology teacher Joy Wolfe had high praise for Eric and his achievements.
”Eric Principato is an incredible person; in addition to being bright, highly motivated and sincere, he is the quintessential “Good Guy,” the one everyone likes and respects,” Ms. Wolfe said. “I expect great things from him in the future.”
Ms. Wolfe said Eric can easily explain difficult engineering concepts and apply his knowledge to create innovative solutions.
”He moves confidently between both the theoretical and actual real world and is articulate, well-spoken, gracious and professional,” Ms. Wolfe said. “Students of Eric’s caliber will make the world a better place and change the way we do things.”
Eric is a triplet. His sister Michelle was the Marketing Manager for the Robotics team, while sister Alena was the webmaster. Younger sister Christa still attends RHS and is also a part of the website team.
Additionally, father Ric Principato served as a mentor for the team. Mother Jean Principato completes what Ms. Wolfe describes as a “loving and very supportive family.”
The Robotics Team, with Eric at the helm, recently completed a successful year of competition with their Robot “Prince,” aptly named in honor of their leader. The team recently competed in the Indiana Robotics Invitational (IRI), which was held July 19 to July 21 at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. The event brought together the top 70 international robotics teams.
”Out of 70 teams, they (the Robbinsville team) were the 7th seeded team after the qualifier rounds and made it to the quarterfinals,” Ms. Wolfe said. “It was a great inaugural debut.”
Eric, who heads to Princeton University on Sept. 1, said he was glad that his high school robotics team finished strong in Indiana.
”It was fun to have a final competition with such a great team, and making it to the quarterfinals ended the season on a good note,” Eric said.

