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Santa Clarita All-Girl Robotics Team Wins Regionals, Set To Compete On International Stage

A Santa Clarita all-girl robotics team has won the Western regional competition for the second year in a row, and is now headed to the international competition.


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“Heat it up and Keep it cool Robotics,” or FTC 8496, is hoping to reclaim their crown at the international stage after winning the first place award in Australia last year.

The team includes Amanda West, a sophomore at Saugus High School; TaylorAnne Brown, a senior who is homeschooled through SCVi; Hanena Lee, a senior at West Ranch High School; Olivia Owen, a junior at West Ranch; Stephanie Ramirez, a junior at Granada Hills Charter High School; and Olivia Smalley, a senior at Academy of the Canyons.

The all-female team has been around for eight years, competing as a FIRST LEGO League Team before transitioning to a FIRST Tech Challenge Team.

“We hope to serve as an inspiration to anyone trying to enter the STEM field,” Smalley said. “There is a need for more women in this field. Sometimes I feel isolated in my classes.”

She is not alone, as women account for 47 percent of all U.S. jobs but held only 24 percent of jobs in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field, according to the Census Bureau.

Smalley says its a lack of support, not interest, in the sciences that causes this gender gap. One of the goals of the team is to foster that support by mentoring other teams in the Santa Clarita community and around the world, participating in the Global STEM Core.

“Outreach is one of the core principles for the team,” Smalley said. “We have served as mentors to robotics teams in the Hart District, and even as far away (as) Kosovo and Hong Kong.”

Every year, each student puts in about 300 hours of community service by leading the FIRST LEGO kickoff for teams in the area, and hosting demonstrations at school districts and tournaments.

The team not only focuses on promoting “hard skills” such as engineering and mathematics, but also emphasizes “soft skills” like communication and leadership.

“These are skills you can’t learn in the classroom,” Smalley said. “You have to go out and get more hands-on learning experiences.”

“Heat it up and Keep it cool” won the first place Inspire Award for the second time in a row — the only team in the county to have take the top spot back-to-back.

The Inspire Award includes criteria for not only robot design, but also the professionalism and inclusiveness of the team as a whole.

The Santa Clarita robotics team is set to go to Houston to reclaim their title at the Robotics World Championship in April.

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Santa Clarita All-Girl Robotics Team Wins Regionals, Set To Compete On International Stage

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About Devon Miller

Devon Miller was born and raised in Santa Clarita. He joined KHTS Radio as a digital marketing intern in September of 2017, and later moved to news as a staff writer in December. Miller attended College of the Canyons and served as the Associated Student Government President. Miller is now News Director for KHTS, covering breaking news and politics across the Santa Clarita Valley.