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5. F.B.I: Changing the face of STEM

   Team 98000H- F.B.I.       AGENT HARPER of the F.B.I. (our robot) speaking I know for sure that I’m made from hard work and persistence. I’m just wheels and a brain, assembled with parts that don’t always fit perfectly, but I know for sure that I’m something for my team to be proud of. “Beep” The sound of my brain turning on sparks excitement among the girls as their  hands reach down to lift me. My controller connects, and trembling fingers press my little black check -mark until the word “run” is displayed on my brain. Tense and eager nods come from the group as Annaliese slowly reaches down to take my controller off the ground. Annaliese’s fingers press lightly on the controller’s joysticks, and I feel my wheels jerk forward beneath me. I am propelled across the field, defying any stereotypes against girls in STEM, and rebelling against my team’s original struggles and doubts. A feeling of triumph spreads through each unique and powerful girl,  sending hands flying through the air in search of high fives and causing grins to split through their faces. I may not have a heart but I do have a brain, and I know that my team is filled with beautiful and loving young ladies. I am in good hands.   Miranda A great designer can fill in an engineering notebook every day, record every triumph, failure, and idea. When I joined robotics I tried many roles but engineer made it to the top of my list.  I have been the engineer for our team, F.B.I., for the past few months and I am very proud of our engineering notebook, which is an array of sketches, designs, and explanations, recording our progress this season. I joined robotics because I wanted to try something new, and robotics sounded like a good, fun, and challenging activity. When I think of the words “girl-powered,” I think of our team. We are strong young women and are as strong in STEM as any boy could be. I mean, we won an excellence award! Take that boys!!!   Asanatou             I am the STEM researcher and team leader, but I also help with any tasks that need to get done. Leadership makes our team complete. Every team needs someone to keep things together. I joined robotics because I wanted to try something that would challenge me. I have tried every role, so I could be more equipped to be a team leader. Understanding the challenges that each role will go through is important to me. Through it all, one thing I have come to understand is girl power. Girl power is females changing the world.  Each girl being the strong individual young women they are. It really makes me happy to know that the world is changing for the better, and it’s because of women. It is definitely something to be proud of! Taylor                                                                                                                        A good programmer is someone who knows when to be focused. They have to have patience because when things get challenging  they can’t  give up. Coders have to persevere. I was interested in the idea of programming for robotics and thought it would be fun. I am fit for this role because not only does there need to be more female programmers in the world,  but I have the skills and the patience for it. At first, I thought that programming was boring, but over time, I came to love my role.  Although I have tried other roles, programming was the most appealing to me.  When I hear girl-powered, I think of Supergirl and her strength; she has an amazing team that has their ups and downs, but they persevere and succeed when working together. Lucia When looking at how to build a robot, one has to examine the parts it takes to put it together. I fit this category because I am very efficient in figuring out how things work. For instance, I enjoy my position because of the skills it allows me to improve on. Not only does my role emphasize the importance of design, but it also allows our team to collaborate to create a productive robot. I joined robotics after previously taking a class on the subject. I was interested in trying it out and looking at its aspects, the most important one being girl power. A program that encourages girls to join STEM empowers us and the community to encourage women to pursue their intelligence. It is extremely inspiring.      Annaliese To be a good driver one cannot be too competitive and they must be able to empathize and work with other drivers, definitely love my job because the thrill of the game is like no other. I joined robotics because I was interested in coding and I was persuaded that robotics would be a fun experience. Now, looking back, I agree! I have tried other roles but chose driving because I enjoy the game. Girl power means giving girls a chance and we all have so many ideas to offer. OUR DIVERSITY When you ask about the influence of diversity of perspective, we thought of the diversity of our experiences, identities, and backgrounds. Our diversity and different points of view help us think of unique ideas that contribute to our success in the long run. To begin, my name is Asanatou Ceesay and I was originally born in West Africa. I came to the states when I was eight years old and  had to learn how to read, do math and I had to catch up with all the other students my age. It  wasn’t easy in any way, but now I am fluent in English.  Then you have our engineer, Miranda, who is of Indian descent on both sides of her family. To add onto that you have Lucia our builder who, like me, was not born in the states; she came from Italy. We especially relate to each other because we both faced the hardship of moving to a completely different country and experiencing the difference in culture at such young ages. I have yet to talk about Annaliese who is of Latino descent, and Taylor who was adopted into a Latino family. As you can tell we all come from different backgrounds and that’s what makes us an even more powerful team. We are like a puzzle. Each individual piece is unique, but when put together with other pieces, they form a whole, consolidated piece. Say we had a different builder or engineer, our robot would surely be different;  because different ideas would be put into the design of each modification we make.  We may come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives on things, but that’s what makes our team so successful. We are all unique young women and our team unites us into one ultragirl-powered mind.                                            STEM ROLE MODEL Brigitte Wiegand is in charge of our schools VEX program, so without her,  none of this would be possible. But, we didn’t just choose Brigitte because she’s in charge of VEX, we chose her because She is the best female leader we know. Brigitte is organized and inspiring and she helped our team get to where we are now. Despite the fact that our practices are on Tuesdays and Thursdays weekly, Brigitte lets us stay extra days to finish everything. She comes in almost every day of the week; taking her own time to come help all of the 80 participating students. Brigitte believes in us even when we are struggling. She pushes us to be the best we can be and always knows what will help us succeed. Our team believes that Brigitte should be more recognized; her dedication makes her a true female hero in our eyes. She is a passionate coach, mentor, director, and instructor, but most of all, she is an amazing female role model. We love and look up to her.                                                                      AGENT HARPER of the F.B.I. speaking        Overall, it's not the destination reached, but the journey that matters. My team’s journey has been exceptionally difficult! From staying extra days to rebuilding me completely, I have seen nothing but devotion and hard work from my team. Even though my team may think of Supergirl, and all females changing the world, It’s really the initiatives they have taken in creating a much more inclusive environment for girls in VEX. The growth and teamwork they show displays what girl power really is. Although I may not have the heart you do, I know I love my team as much as they love me. So, maybe I have a heart after all.   CHECK OUT OUR GIRL POWERED VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIhqlZRcO_   CREDITS                                                                Miranda Nayak Asanatou Ceesay Lucia Musacchi Annaliese Gordon Taylor Reyes Team 98000H Foothills Middle School F.B.I.