Chile’s all-female robotics team has secured the necessary funds to cover the travel expenses and participate in the FIRST Global Challenge 2024, which will take place in Athens from September 26 to 29. However, the fundraising campaign remains open, as they still need to cover the competition’s registration fees.
Team Chile has participated in every edition of the FIRST Global Challenge since 2017, standing out not only for their perseverance but also for their impressive achievements: they have always won awards, including a remarkable second place globally in 2020.
These talented young women embody the innovative spirit and dedication of Chile’s future STEM leaders.
In recent weeks, the group of nine students, aged 16 to 18, along with their mentors Rocío Sáez, Andrea Arias, Felipe Pickenpack, and Marcelo Bravo, launched a social media and media campaign to secure the resources needed to travel to the competition. This effort reached a milestone this week thanks to the contribution from Fundación Te Apoyamos, run by businessman Andrónico Luksic, Fundación Albert Einstein, BC Tecnología, Precision, among other donors.
Rocío Sáez, an electronics technician and student of Automation and Robotics, who is also a mentor for Team Chile, explains that the path to reaching a competition like FIRST Global is very challenging. “I know firsthand how hard it is to get to ministries and secure institutional support, as a few years ago I was a participant in this same competition. For a long time, we depended on raffles, bake sales, and the support of close friends. But this year has been different—this is the first time we’ve received such significant and substantial backing! It fills us with pride and motivates us to represent Chile even more strongly in the international FIRST Global Challenge.”
Marcelo Bravo, a professor, electrical engineer, and also a mentor for Team Chile, highlights that “being part of this team is both a privilege and a huge responsibility. We’ve witnessed the effort and dedication of these young women over time, and every competition represents a new opportunity for them to demonstrate their talent, creativity, and perseverance. Securing the necessary support to take these future leaders to Athens is an achievement that speaks to the commitment of many people and organizations that believe in the power of STEM education. For us, this goes beyond a competition; it’s an opportunity to continue opening doors for women in technology and science, something that fills us with pride.”
Carolina Ubilla, acting executive director of Fundación Te Apoyamos, shared that they learned about this campaign through Rocío Sáez, who is not only a mentor for the team heading to Athens but is also one of the 100 women selected for the Luksic “More Women in STEM” scholarship and has been an active participant in Fundación Luksic’s “Women Who Can Do It All” campaign. “For both Fundación Luksic and Fundación Te Apoyamos, it is essential to contribute to the development of people and reduce gender gaps, especially in STEM fields, where there are greater and better opportunities in terms of employability and more competitive salaries. That’s why we’re thrilled to have been able to contribute travel expenses so that the all-female robotics team can make it to this world championship,” she said.
The team representing Chile this year is composed of Victoria Rabanal, Kvyenray Rupayan, Anais Montealegre, Antonia Alfaro, Annais Molina, Javiera Méndez, Giselle Antillanca, Gabriela Urzúa, and Fernanda Valenzuela.
Antonia Alfaro, a high school senior, shares, “As a member of Team Chile, it’s been an honor to participate in this competition and meet wonderful girls. Each one of them contributes something invaluable to the team, which makes me want to keep learning more. We want to showcase our skills and put our knowledge to the test to bring about change. However, this long journey hasn’t been easy. We’ve seen all the sacrifices our mentors have made to get us recognized. We’d love to say that Chile is open to allowing more young people to develop their talents and skills to build a better future. But sadly, that’s not the case. I hope that future editions of this competition will have an easier path to funding so that their main concern will be the robot, not the uncertainty of whether they will be able to participate this year.”
FIRST Global aims to inspire young people worldwide to pursue STEM fields, making science and technology as exciting as any other sport.
