I came home from the 2022 VEX World Championships feeling inspired and incredibly lucky to be a part of such an amazing global community! Witnessing the mammoth amount of dedication and commitment contributed by teachers, coaches, volunteers and students to put together an event of this magnitude was awe-inspiring and sets an example for what can be done when people come together in the service of a shared goal.
This was my first VEX Worlds, and there were so many magnificent moments in the two weeks I was there that I can’t possibly share all of them, but here are a few takeaways:
VEX students are kind! I saw so many examples of kindness and good sportsmanship during the two weeks I was there. When one IQ Team’s robot was lost in shipping, other teams pulled together to help round up parts for them so they could still compete. During the finals, the alliances on losing teams comforted each other.
VEX teams have incredible amounts of spirit! I loved walking through the pits to see the creativity and enthusiasm of each team. Kids were always eager to talk about their robots and strategy, give away treats and ask where you were from. And the team names! (Update Your Firmware was a particular favorite of mine!)
VEX Coaches, teachers and parents are incomparably dedicated! In the VEX booth, I was lucky enough to talk to numerous coaches and teachers about their teams and their experiences with VEX robotics in the classroom. The amount of time and energy they give to their students on a daily basis is awe-inspiring and commendable, and they all wanted to talk about how they could improve on what they were already doing and how they could do more for their kids.
VEX kids know how to iterate! Growth mindset was front and center all week. I was stunned by the detailed engineering notebooks I looked over and how naturally the students were focused on the process of robot design and coding. It is obvious that this is now second nature to so many of the kids, which will undoubtedly contribute greatly to their future success.
I could keep on going, but it really all comes down to this: A huge group of people came together to celebrate and support all kinds of students’ in their desire to excel in STEM, knowing that it would make a lasting impact on the students’ futures and put a great deal of good into the world. If that’s not inspiring and comforting, I don’t know what is! I’m already looking forward to 2023!
