Kevin Lin (289)
The Robolancers are Central High School’s Robotics Team. They have won many awards since their start in 1999, including the FIRST Impact Award that has given them a spot in the FIRST Hall of Fame. So, what is FIRST, what are Robolancers’ origins, and what are they doing moving forward into the year 2027?
FIRST stands for: “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.” It is an organization dedicated to inspiring and building confidence in young people to become the next STEM leaders (FIRSTinspires). Since its founding in 1989, they’ve created many programs such as FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition—some of which you may have competed in.
The Robolancers are split into teams 321 and 427, each of which competes in FIRST Robotics Competition—427 being led by mentors, and 321 being led by mostly students with mentors playing a smaller role. Since the Robolancers’ debut, these teams have competed in over 70 events and won 40 awards—321 won the Impact Award in 2023 for representing and embodying the FIRST core values (Firstinspires). Regarding competitions, the current president of the Robolancers, Tez King (287), said that they were “uniquely fun,” and that “I get to meet a lot of the really, really good teams.”
In this school year, the Robolancers have started off strong, making their selection of new members from 289 and 288. They are also competing in their first event of the year: GIRLP.O.W.E.R. This team isn’t just about building robots, however. When I asked Tez (287) about the community, he said, “I don’t think it would be nearly as fun without the groups of people you’re doing it with.” Afterwards, when asked about activities the Robolancers do other than robotics, he responded by saying, “One of our main aspects outside of building robots is our outreach.” Similarly, while talking about volunteer hours, he said, “There’s a lot we do that isn’t just robot-based.” After reading this, you might be wondering how you can apply and what they look for when accepting new members. When I asked Tez (287), he said, “We don’t look for if you’re already advanced at something,” and “We look for people that we think are gonna thrive in that learning environment.” So, if you’re a part of 289 and want to be on the team next year, make sure to remember to try out for a spot!
