When La Jolla Country Day School’s 11th-grader, Lana Lee, founder of a community-based robotics team, learned that she and six other girls from San Diego County had been chosen to represent California in a national competition, she needed a moment to fully grasp the news.
“I received a text from the robotics group chat during one of my classes, and initially, I thought it was a scam email,” Lana recalled. “But after I read the email more closely, I felt a wave of happiness.”
As captain of Team Bumble Bee, she was thrilled to be part of one of the 50 teams selected to compete in the U.S. Governors Cup robotics tournament held on February 20-21 at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
This competition stems from a multi-year initiative by the White House Office of American Innovation, commencing in 2019.
The state-versus-state contest, which debuted this year, adopted a March Madness-style tournament format. Highlights included a live Q&A with astronaut Chris Williams aboard the International Space Station and a performance by Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas.
Team Bumble Bee applied for the coed competition, not expecting to be chosen. However, their strong application led to the all-girls team heading to Washington, D.C.
Coach Tara Anderson described the selection as “surreal.”
“I was just as excited as they were,” she noted. “There are so many talented teams in California. … I think the way they responded to the questions caught the reviewer’s attention.”
The team
Team Bumble Bee includes Lana, fellow La Jolla Country Day 11th-graders Lauren Mitnick and Ariana Du; Scripps Ranch High School 12th-graders Liberty Morgan and Jacquelyn Lee; Mesa Verde Middle School sixth-grader Victoria Taganas; and Del Norte High School 11th-grader Shriya Paladugu.
Jacquelyn and Liberty take on the roles of mechanical co-leads, with Erwin Taganas and Rudra Sengupta, engineers from the Navy and Qualcomm respectively, mentoring the team.
Flexibility was key in forming the team three years ago. As Lana awaited the La Jolla Country Day girls tennis team’s schedule, she was concerned about her participation in the school’s robotics team.
“I needed clarity on my schedule, so instead of waiting, I decided it would be best to create my own team, free from restrictions, including weekend meetings,” Lana explained.
Her friend Lauren, who leads outreach efforts such as school visits, content creation, and social media promotion, joined as a 10th-grader, despite not having a strong background in robotics.
“Before joining this team, I didn’t enjoy STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] or robotics at all,” Lauren admitted. “I was invited by a friend to help design merchandise and manage the social media account. … What I appreciate about being part of robotics is seeing how the humanities and arts intersect, which is my strong suit, and how that connects to STEM fields.”
With two members graduating this year and four entering 12th grade, the team is preparing for a transition to younger members.
The competition
Lauren described the trip to D.C. as “an incredibly inspiring experience.” Participants engaged with representatives from tech companies, prestigious universities, and even some elected officials.
“Connecting with teams of such high caliber made me realize I would likely meet many of these individuals in college, and seeing all the tech companies present was just amazing,” Lauren said.
Lana enjoyed meeting other teams and trading pins, buttons, and stickers.
One source of stress was getting to Washington while transporting the team’s robot.
“I was constantly anxious about the robot’s condition during the flight,” Lana said.
Like the other 49 teams in the competition, Team Bumble Bee designed, built, and programmed their robot for head-to-head matchups. The team represented California with a bee-themed design and coordinated outfits.
‘Really great thing’
Despite finishing 39th in the competition, the significance of being an all-girls team in a large coed tournament resonated with the members and their coach.
“We aimed to represent our state well,” Lana stated. “I think our all-girl team showcased the diversity that exists.”
Anderson remarked, “It was a fantastic way to demonstrate that all-girls teams can compete at a very high level, even if the dynamics are slightly different.”
She highlighted the change over the past few years, noting that, “In the San Diego region, we used to be the only true all-girls robotics team. This year, there are at least five other all-girls teams in San Diego, which is a wonderful development in such a short time.” ♦
