Send SYHS Robotics to Nationals

My name is Carrie Northum. I teach science and coach robotics at San Ysidro High School.  Three years ago a donation was made to our school which allowed us to initiate a Vex robotics team. The students at our high school have been asking for this opportunity for several years, but it had never before been financially possible.  Our school simply doesn’t have funds in its budget for robotics, and we lack any funding from parent donations. San Ysidro is a very impoverished border community, and my team members routinely live below the poverty line.  Typically, the parents of my students did not finish high school and have to work multiple jobs to support their families. This is why I believe so firmly that while STEM education is important everywhere: it is absolutely imperative for my students, who are intent on pursuing STEM careers as a means to rise out of poverty.

In my eleven years teaching here, I have witnessed the fact that low income does not at all mean low intelligence. My first year as robotics mentor was 2014. Our team could not afford the fancy parts and extras that most successful high school robotics teams have. However, what we lack in finances, we make up with ingenuity.  With the help of my assistant coach, an SYHS alumni and current engineering major at SDSU, we had an extremely successful season which ended with us taking our team to San Jose for California State Championships. This year we just learned that we again qualified for State and also for the Vex National Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The CREATE US Open Championship will take place from April 7-9 at the Mid America Center, which is located in the Council Bluffs/Omaha Metro area.  More information about the event can be found at http://www.create-found.org/RoboticChampionship.php

Taking part in a competition of this caliber would be the experience of a lifetime for my students. Most of them have never left San Diego county, let alone the state of California.  This would provide them the opportunity to compete against other championship caliber teams, and open their eyes to STEM education and careers in other parts of the country. A trip to Nationals would do so much to broaden their horizons, and to ensure that their interest in science and technology is not just something that was fun in high school, but rather a viable career path for their future.

However, this oppurtunity cannot happen with out your help. While it is an amazing achievement for the kids to have qualified for the championship, without major financial assistance they won’t be able to attend. Our team does not have the funds and the parents of our team members cannot afford to pay their way. Please help the San Ysidro High School Cougarbots get to national championships.  Thank you so much.