Students from various secondary schools and the Dominica State College are poised to take part in the 2023 FIRST Global “Robotics Olympics” Challenge in Singapore in two weeks. Over 180 countries will come together in Singapore from October 7 – 10 to face off in a collaborative, international Olympic-styled robotics competition that will put their technical-prowess, problem-solving skills, and collaborative skills to the test. On top of that, this event will offer an unparalleled platform for young students who are passionate about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to join forces with thousands of other students from different backgrounds, ethnicities and religions.
The host organization, FIRST Global, is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity and its mission is to inspire leadership and innovation in youth from all nations by empowering them through education in STEM. The belief is that by nurturing cross-cultural communication and cooperation among pre-university students around the world through STEM, they are empowered to collectively tackle the world’s most pressing challenges and come up with solutions that improve quality of life for all. The competition essentially uses robotics to build students who have the self-confidence, skill sets, imagination, courage, and vision to do important things.
Though there will only be 5 student team members traveling to Singapore (Adriano Toussaint, Bernisha Moreau, Noah Riviere, Phoenix Jacques, & Robert Guiste Jr.), the team consists of 12 other young innovators (Adelisha Massicotte, Angel Eustache, Dianka George, Annik Francis, Destinee Bertrand, Sherkhia Andrew, Milagro Deluge, Gambino Orlé, Sanjay Sookhoo, Johnpaul Itodo, Célina Pinard, & Sky Casimir)
The students attend various secondary and tertiary institutions around Dominica including the Dominica State College, Dominica Grammar School, Goodwill Secondary School, St. Martin Secondary School, Convent High School, and Saint Mary’s Academy and they are some of the most committed students in Dominica in their varying academic disciplines. At school, they study subjects like Information Technology, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Technical Drawing, Woodwork, Math, Physics, Integrated Science, Biology, Electronic/Electrical/Telecommunications engineering, and Chemistry. Team captain Bernisha Moreau says she’s “been eagerly waiting for a chance to showcase all the skills and knowledge she’s gained by being a member of the team”, and, she’s “confident in Dominica’s ability to one day be a hub for innovation within the Caribbean”. The team is led by mentor Kodie Jean-Jacques, and assistant mentor Odessa Dinnard.
They are sponsored to date by ShopDM, Flow Dominica, Outsource Development Studio, Dominica National Lottery, Sugar George Inc., PiCKAAT Innovations, The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, The National Co-operative Credit Union, members of the Sagicor sales Team, 767.Dev, Secretly Dominican, Jaydee’s Naturals, Wizzard House Records, and Helena’s Photo Studio.
