When one chooses to join robotics, he or she not only signs up for a club about building robots, but also for a club that teaches students how to work hard and appreciate the resources in their communities.

The robotics club is sponsored by astronomy teacher, Mr. Sherlock, and is captained by seniors Emma Hale and Mindy Duenas Salas. The club’s main goal is to spread the word about STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.

The club was started by Duenas Salas when she transferred to Tunstall as a sophomore. She first got involved with robotics in 7th grade at Martinsville High School and then brought her interest in the STEM field with her when she transferred.

The club is not solely focused on winning at competitions or building the best robot they can, but also on educating students in the community.

“We want to inspire students to pursue careers in STEM,” said Hale.

The team also ventures out to different competitions where they can test their skills and hard work they have put forth during the season. The team takes the robot they have built over a period of six weeks and competes against teams from all over the state.

Not only do students have the opportunity to compete against other teams, but they also have the opportunity to make connections with schools and businesses with the potential for scholarships and internships.

“Colleges come to the competitions to talk to students and offer them scholarships. NASA is even there sometimes offering internships,” said Duenas Salas.

The team has the opportunity to connect with other students and build relationships that will be useful going into a STEM-related education and/or career.

When talking about opportunities and careers after high school, Hale and Duenas Salas both seemed to light up as well as show signs of sadness. To them, robotics has been a memorable and eye-opening experience.

“It’s rewarding to see how it has grown and how the students have the same enthusiasm we did when we started,” said Hale.

Hale and Duenas Salas are the last group of first-generation students from the original team to graduate. They are both in high hopes of starting a banquet with teams across the southside to recognize the seniors that have worked so hard to mentor the younger students in the club.

“We saw them go from insecure freshman to mature young adults,” said Duenas Salas.

Hale and Duenas Salas are both interested in pursuing careers in the stem field.

“So far, 100% of the students that have graduated from the robotics team have pursued STEM careers,” said Duenas Salas.

The two talked about the team they have started at the middle school and expressed hopes of even starting a team at the elementary level. This is just another way they are educating students in the community about STEM.

“There are so many sports for athletic kids, and art and drama and music for artsy kids, but there isn’t really anything for STEM kids other than the science and math classes in school,” says Hale.

Although their fundraising season ended earlier this month, the team is now at their most crucial time: the build season. They will continue for the next 3½ weeks building their robot, and will then prepare for competition later this semester. Their journey can be f0llowed on their website.