The Ossining Engineering Club has qualified for the FIRST World Championship for the fourth year in a row. On March 21st, the team—known as the O-Bots—ended their first regional competition with a third-place finish on the robot field, and, more notably, the Impact Award: the most prestigious award given to teams at a regional competition. Their success guaranteed them a spot at the World Championship, which is hosted in Houston, Texas, from April 29 to May 2.
The Ossining Engineering Club is a well-established, successful FIRST Robotics team at Ossining High School. Every year, they participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition, where they are presented with a challenge in January and have two months to create a fully functional robot. They then compete in regional competitions with the goal of qualifying for the World Championship. The O-Bots started their first regional competition on March 19th with a shoutout from Congressman Mike Lawler, who celebrated their participation in the Congressional App Challenge. Over the next few days, the O-Bots competed relentlessly. From 9 to 5, they worked tirelessly fixing what broke, strategizing with their teammates, and learning from others. As Elisa Schatz, treasurer of the club, put it, “Beyond the competition aspect, these tournaments are invaluable opportunities to network, collaborate, and deepen your knowledge in robotics.” All the while, the team’s presentation group spoke in front of a panel of judges about the team’s multi-year-long efforts in inspiring the community in STEM. Kyle Battacharia, the club’s head of programming and presentation team member, reveals, “FIRST has taught us that STEM isn’t just about what you can build and create but also how to inspire and mentor others to do the same.”
Despite finishing the competition with a high rank award, the O-Bots packed up their robot, skeptical that it would be enough to qualify for the World Championship. The only award left to be presented was the Impact Award. According to the team’s Head of Outreach, Melissa Abzun, “Although our team hadn’t been called for an award and I felt both hope and fear, I knew the impact we made on minorities would be enough either way.” As the host introduced the award, the O-Bots held their breath. Then a cheer erupted as it was announced that the team had won. The club’s president, Marisol Berrezueta, remarked, “It was such a meaningful experience to share the past three years of our work with the judges and see them appreciate it just as much as we appreciate our community.”
The O-Bots headed home from their first regional with a guaranteed spot at the World Championship. However, they refuse to rest. With two more regionals looming, the O-Bots are back to work every afternoon, improving their robot and strengthening their strategy in preparation. With their community standing behind them, more success stories are surely to come.
