Students prepare for FIRST Robotics state championship at SVSU

KOCHVILLE TWP., Mich. (WNEM) – Thousands of high school students are showcasing their talents in science and engineering at the FIRST Robotics state championship.

“Absolutely blessed. Like there’s nothing better I could probably spend my time doing than this,” one student said.

There were 160 high school teams from across Michigan at SVSU’s Ryder Center, which is hosting the event for the sixth year, preparing for the first day of competition on Friday, April 4.

One team from an all-girls school said the competition gives them an opportunity to break down stereotypes.

“Being able to bring younger girls into STEM, bringing ourselves into higher engineering fields - which are dominated by men - being able to work together and overcome those boundaries, and also being able to explore something new to a lot of kids is a really awesome experience,” said Jessica Koehler, a senior at Mercy High School in Farmington Hills.

Students taking part said the competition allows them to grow their knowledge in STEM education while also getting experience in collaborating and teamwork.

Organizers at SVSU said those are the skills employers are always looking for in new hires.

“This is one way to help fill that talent pipeline. You get these high school students to come and be part of this competition. They’re able to see SVSU, what we have to offer. There are other colleges and universities who bring representatives, so they get an opportunity to see how they can continue their education beyond high school in a number of the STEM fields,” said JJ Boehm, executive director of university communications at SVSU.

Teams will compete in qualifying district events, with winners being determined by a point system. Competition pits open Friday at 8 a.m. Matches are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Awards will be announced following playoffs on Saturday.

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