![\"High](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1024x768_KIDS.jpg\" "\\"First")
(Photo via \u00a0FIRST\u00ae\u00a0\u00a0website)<\/p>\nStudents learned problem-solving and teamwork in addition to designing and building
\n robots by working with professional mentors at the Tallahassee Regional, April 17\u201318<\/p>\n
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2015 Florida A&M University and FAMU-FSU College of Engineering hosted high school students
\n from four countries, five states, and dozens of Florida-based teams descended upon
\n the Alfred Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Center at FAMU to showcase 15 weeks of intense
\n robotic design and engineering. Forty-six teams of students and professional engineers
\n competed in the FIRST\u00ae Robotics Competition at the Tallahassee Regional.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s theme, REBUILT\u2122 presented by Haas, part of the 2025\u20132026 FIRST\u00ae AGE\u2120 season, challenged students to reimagine the past
\n through modern engineering. Two competing alliances were invited to score fuel, cross
\n obstacles, and climb towers before time ran out. Beyond the hardware, the competition
\n emphasized \u201cGracious Professionalism,\u201d a core value in which teams competed fiercely
\n while treating one another with respect.<\/p>\n
(Photo via \u00a0FIRST\u00ae\u00a0\u00a0website)<\/p>\n
Tisha Keller, assistant dean for media, marketing & communications at the FAMU-FSU College of
\n Engineering, noted that the international draw reflected a reputation built on more
\n than just logistics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen teams traveled from Australia, Pakistan, and Suriname to compete here at the
\n Al Lawson Center on the campus of Florida A&M University, that wasn\u2019t an accident,\u201d
\n Keller said. \u201cIt was the result of intentional community-building.”<\/p>\n
She explained that what made the regional distinctive was the combination of competitive
\n excellence and belonging.<\/p>\n
“As FIRST Regional Director Wendy Austin has noted, our students of color and community
\n groups had the opportunity to compete at a place where they felt at home. Whether
\n it was \u2018Pymble Pride\u2019 from Sydney or \u2018STEAMSUR\u2019 from Suriname, these teams didn\u2019t
\n just travel thousands of miles to compete; they found a community here,\u201d Keller said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The event helped high school students prepare for college by providing a direct and
\n tangible bridge to the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Alan Hanstein, executive director of the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee, highlighted
\n the long-term impact of the collegiate setting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis event was more than a competition; it was a glimpse into the future of our workforce,\u201d
\n Hanstein said. \u201cWhen students walked onto a college campus, built something with their
\n own hands, and solved real problems as a team, they began to see themselves not just
\n as students, but as engineers. That\u2019s where the pipeline truly begins.\u201d<\/p>\n
The competition also helped students build professional skills that could not be learned
\n from books alone. Keller noted that students became better leaders and more confident
\n in their technical abilities each year.<\/p>\n
![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1024x768_TOY.jpg\" "\\"STEM")
(Photo via \u00a0FIRST\u00ae\u00a0website)<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents were essentially practicing the full lifecycle of professional engineering
\n in a high-stakes environment,\u201d Keller added. \u201cThat sense of ownership\u2014that the solution
\n is yours, and the failure is yours to learn from\u2014built an agency that no grade can
\n replicate. By the time they arrived on our campus, many were already fluent in the
\n language of engineering teamwork. We weren\u2019t just building robots; we were building
\n the engineers who will build the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teams vied for a prestigious spot at the international FIRST\u00ae Championship in Houston, Media Contact<\/p>\n Rachel James-Terry Tisha Keller
\n Texas, scheduled for April 29 to May 2. For more information about FIRST in North
\n Florida, please contact Wendy Austin at waustin@firstinspires.org<\/a> or visit firstinspires.org.<\/p>\n
Senior Director of Strategic Communications
rachel.jamesterry@famu.edu<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n
Assistant Dean of Media, Marketing and Communications
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
tckeller@eng.famu.fsu.edu<\/a><\/p>\n