Students compete in FIRST Robotics competition

ESCANABA — It’s a competition that’s growing across the U.P. as well as the state.

FIRST Robotics combines science and technology to show high school students firsthand how fun a career in the STEM related fields can be. Escanaba hosted a two–day district event on Friday and Saturday.

When it was all said and done, a trio of teams from Flint, Grand Rapids and Fenton defeated a couple of U.P. teams to win the title.

“I’ve learned that everyone has a certain part,” said Andrew Aillian, captain of Team 1322. “Everyone can tell you where their part of the robot is. Every little scratch that they might have made and every little bolt that they put in, I’m so proud of everybody here. It’s fantastic.”

“I plan on going into computer engineering,” said Paula Benavides, captain of Team 894. “In high school I’m the head programmer, so learning about programming this early is a head start for me. When I get to college, I feel like I already know some stuff.”

Teams earned points during the competition by retrieving and delivering gears with their robots to their respective towers.