VRC Girl Powered Online Challenge Sponsored by Google
Girl Powered is an initiative to redefine the face of STEM by creating a more inclusive environment for all students within the robotics community. Together, with the support of the entire community, we strive to encourage equal participation of young women and men in competitive robotics. We want to use this challenge to show the robotics community at large just what it means to be a Girl Powered VEX Robotics Competition team!
Things to keep in mind for a successful submission:
- When you hear the phrase, Girl Powered, what comes to mind? How is it reflected in your team’s approach to robotics?
- Share how your team has taken initiative to create a more inclusive environment that attracts a diverse group of students.
- Share how each team member has tried various roles on the team (everything from designing, to building, programming, strategy, awards, etc.). Explain what you learned through this experience.
- How do you believe diversity of perspective changes your robot design, your team chemistry, and even your ability to succeed?
- Who is your STEM role model and why? Does this person inspire you to have a more inclusive team / program? How?
We want compelling, engaging stories that give us insight into how you’ve taken the Girl Powered initiative and incorporated it into your experience on a VRC team. The benefit of having a diverse team will become apparent through your individual stories.
Entries
Girl Powered Essay
Girl Powered Essay
When we hear the phrase, Girl Powered, we think of females who are independent and achieve things that are “hard for girls to accomplish”. This is put in quotation marks, because many people think that females are weak and can’t achieve the same things that males can. Girl Powered is an empowerment of girls. This phrase makes us treat females equally and give them equal opportunities. Some may even look up to accomplished females in respect and awe. There are many females who changed the world. They...
Movement Towards a Girl Powered Initiative: Our...
In Vex Robotics, robots are able to function with the conjunction of parts such as gears and axles and the cortex and controller. These accessories are drastically distinct by looks; however, they are crucial to each other’s function. These corresponding parts allow robots to advance along the competition field. Similarly, with a diversity of individuals having different skill sets, the team was able to make strides towards success in terms of the engineering process. Among these strides, smaller steps towards female empowerment arose within our robotics...
Girl Powered: Our Story
This is our story on how we have perserved through a male-dominated program, ensured our place in the program, and how our team has integrated the Girl Powered initiative into our team dynamic.
Not Fast, But Furious - Overcoming Stereotypes
Overcoming Stereotypes
Each girl in our team has been interested in becoming a part of robotics and technology for years, but many of us have had a rough start. Some were told they were too young, and others were told that robotics wasn’t a girl thing. Despite what others said, we still strived to become a part in robotics. Last year, the eighth graders of our team were seventh graders. Because a girls team wouldn’t work with our schedules, in the end, we were all separated into boys teams. That year, many of us struggled to find a place...
Marrs Robotics- Turning The Inexplicable by 1073D
What comes first to our MINDS when we say the word “Girl Powered”?
Well, hold that thought for a second and we will explain you our version.
1073D E-LEMON-ATORS Girl Powered story:
First, We are 1073D Presenting you this online challenge ( We are a team of all boys! ) what you might think is that why a Boys robotics make a Girl Powered challenge? We used to have six teammates, 5 of them we’re boys and 1 of them was a Girl. Okay we didn’t care that she was in our...
A Girl's Experience
Have you ever wondered how girls are a part of a vex robotics team. Even if you haven't ever thought that, you will know now. These are my personal experiences as a member of robotics, some good, some not as pleasent. After reading this, you will know how I was treated in robotics. Everything written here is true, all of my emotions have been poured into this piece, and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing how i've felt for so long.
What does Girl Power mean to HBS Inferno?
To us, Girl powered means making the point that everyone has an equal chance to do robotics; many girls are curious about the world of science however not a lot of people try to motivate girls to pursue a role in the field of science. Girls only make up twenty three percent of the VEX participants and only twenty four percent are part of the STEM workforce. Girl power is the reference to an attitude of independence, confidence, and empowerment among young women.
We ourselves understand the importance to spread girl power as we ourselves have faced backlash...
8871
When I hear the phrase "girl power" what comes to mind is what girls can do to impact the world. I believe just because we are a certain gender doesn't mean we can't do things like anyone else such as building. It affected my teams approach to robotics by now having female teams. My team consists of only females and we were able to build a robot succesfully and attend competetions. Our other girl team 8871B won the accelence award in both competitons attended this year. Our team president is also a female. We also have other teams with both genders that also do...
8871
When I hear "girl power", I Imagine girls doing things that people thought would be impossible. So my team is an all-girls team and this relative to us because a lot of people think that well could do just a drivetrain but in real life, we could build a whole working robot. So my team start with just six girls but now its seven girls and two boys so our group has grown a little bit, but the people we got are new to robotics thing like what is a drivetrain and how to build a claw, so one of my teammates and me took a day off from building to...
Breaking the Stereotype
Breaking the stereotype is an important challenge for girls across the world to accomplish, just as we are now.
Passing On The Legacy
This is the story about how Major Trouble was born. How we've learned, and grown, and passed on the legacy of causing some Trouble.
Jessamine Puella Power
This is the story of how 1859S became a female powerhouse for JCTC Vex robotics.
Girls Get the Job Done!
Our GirlPowered essay tells about one of the most inspiring women of history; Amelia Earhart. It tells about her life and how people thought she would never be able to accomplish the amazing things she did purely because she was female. Our essay also tells about the differences between an all girls team and a team that has all or mostly boys, and how societly often looks down on girls only because we are female.
Girl Powered: The "Turning Point" of VEX
With the Girl Powered movement in mind, 2496R has taken the initiative to promote inclusion, collaboration, and kindness within our team- regardless of gender. By continuing with our efforts, we hope to inspire a "turning point" in the gender gap!
Team Number- 2496R
Entrant- VanAnh Nguyen
Other Team Members- David Seo, Devin Ho, Jessica Duong, Kaelyn Pieter, Alan Onuma, Emma Jung, and Kelly Zhou
Title of Submission- Girl Powered: The...
Our Journey
We are the only all-girls robotics team at Armijo HIgh School and it's been a hard year for us to be able to keep up, especially since we're all rookies. However, even though we faced many challenges and setbacks, we stayed together along the way and each other figure things out. We may have had struggles along the way, but at least we struggled together.
Some People See The Revolution But Most Only See...
We are Zoe and Harper from teams 12E and 12F, this is our story of how being the only girls on all male teams has brought us together and helped us become more successful in robotics and STEM in general.
Robotics has taught us so much about male perceptions of girls in STEM and we have had the opportunity to see how much has changed in the world relating to women in STEM fields. We have learned that small steps make a big impact and while putting yourself out there in an unfamiliar situation may be uncomfortable, it is important to stand up for what you believe...
11462H Girl Powered
Our answers to the questions are put on a PowerPoint. We are in between of the word count requirements.
Made by Women
Made By Women
Only around 5% of all roboticists in the world are women. The recent rise in the girl power movement directly affects our team. Our team has tried to extend our arms to interest other individuals. We have each tried our hands at each of the different fields of robotics such as programming, building, and driving, and have found those that we are the most successful at. Through the program in the school, we have tried to diversify...
Girl Powered and Inspired
We are Team 33172D from Miami, Florida and this is Our Girl Powered Journey.
8871Y
Our robotics class is very diverse and shows how both girls and boys could do the same things to acomplish a goal. Girl power represents how girls can do things like any other guy could. Our coach who is also a female works really hard to show her students that its about working toether and having fun. Not about winning all the time and only letting the best compete. Girl power shows that anyone can do something great.
8871--Girl Powered
When the phrase 'girl-power' is mentioned I usually assume that it has to do with how much power a female has within her environment. The girls within the team take a serious approach towards robotics because we know that even though we may not be the best in some area's we do strive in the other options. My team members are all girls-for the most part. We have many different jobs that we are assigned to each day, I have worked on programming, building, being a journalist, and a driver. I may not have been good at programming but I did excel in the doing daily entries and...
What Girl Power Means to Us
We are an all girls team who has had the privilege of having a very supportive school and community that pushes us to be as successful as possible. Read our essay to see how Girl Power has had a powerful impact on our team.