Physics. Mathematics. Design. Software programming.

For a group of students in WAB’s High School, these are more than just subjects of study. They are passions – passions which have translated into their team's first award in robotics.

Members of the WAB Robotics Club – Andrew C., Timothy T., Andrew L., Ing Xu L., and Sun Woo K. – traveled to Tianjin in February to compete in the Vex Robotics Competition. After building and performing tasks with their robot, as well as answering interview questions, the group came home with the Judges’ Award, given to a team who deserves special recognition based on their design abilities and responses.

“I am very proud of our accomplishments as a club,” said Andrew, who started the club in his first year at WAB as a way to offer students a chance to extend their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning. “The overall goals for the club are to help people like me pursue their interests in STEM fields, increase STEM prevalence in school, and broaden its academic influence.”

Andrew said he loves robotics, because it allows him to see a direct path from the formulation of ideas to the creation of something in real life. At WAB, he saw an opportunity to introduce a new club to the school that would serve his passions and attract like-minded students to work together. The WABX Activities Department offered him the flexibility to create the club, and he was encouraged by his counselor as well as a faculty supervisor to regularly visit the workshop, learn how to use tools, and seek funds.

Though the club started with only one other member, the influence has grown over the 18 months since it was founded. They meet bi-weekly to design, build, and prototype. The students also use their time to teach one another software programming. But the aspirations of the group continue to grow and support the members’ big-picture goals.

“I aim to study and become and electrical or software engineer in the future,” Andrew said. “Robotics clearly connects to my career goals, and I hope that this club can grow to a point where it makes an impact on a larger group of students who are interested in STEM-related degrees or careers in the future.”