I'm so for STEM programs, man. They encourage kids to use logic and creativity at once and it's amazing to see the results of what they're working on. I especially love when kids from BAKERSFIELD thrive doing this. This is seriously the case for Alia Peterson from Rosedale Middle School. She just won an amazing prize for robotics.
Via The Bakersfield Californian:
This month, Peterson was announced the grand prize winner in the Wonder League Robotics Competition, an international coding and robotics competition, beating out more than 7,800 teams from around the world. She received a $5,000 STEM grant from Wonder Workshop and a robot of her choice.
"I was not expecting to win," she said. "As they were announcing the top five, I was like, 'OK, some other person is going to get it and they can get it over with.' Then I was like, 'Oh, it’s not someone else!'"
Peterson, using the team name Team Cadenza for the competition, beat out teams from Ukraine, Nebraska, Michigan, Republic of Korea and Canada in the 12-14 age group.
She has been working with robots for several years now, her mother, Danielle Peterson, explained. When Danielle Peterson learned about Wonder Workshop and its activities related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields (STEM), she had to sign up her children.
"Where we lived before there weren’t a lot of STEM opportunities, so when I saw that these robots were coming out and were kid-friendly, I thought that would be a good option to give them exposure to those fields and ways of thinking," Danielle Peterson said.
I am applauding so hard for you, Alia! Way to go! Read more of the story HERE! Check out the announcement for Alia at 6:29!