Cayman Islands National Robotics Team attends FIRST Global Challenge in Athens, Greece

The Cayman Islands National Robotics Team, comprised of students from seven local high schools, has headed to Athens, Greece to compete in the 2024 FIRST Global Challenge.

Under the theme “Feeding the Future,” this year’s event will be held from 26 to 30 September and will bring together students from more than 190 countries to learn about the importance of sustainable food production and sourcing. This topic is relevant to the team and the Cayman Islands as the country imports most of the food supply to support the local community.

Representing the Cayman Islands are Liam Benson of Cayman Prep & High School, Megha Cherayath of St. Ignatius Catholic School, Harry Cowell of Cayman International School, Garson Gardiner of John Gray High School, Jamie Johnson of Clifton Hunter High School, Abe Mohammed of Triple C School, Daeniell Pink of Triple C School and Aryan Ramsammy of Layman E. Scott Sr. High School in Cayman Brac. Accompanying the students are Glenda McTaggart – team manager, Desmond White – team coach and Nametha Abraham – team mentor.

Pink expressed her gratitude for being selected as a member of this year’s team and competing in Athens, the birthplace of the modern Olympics.

“Being able to interact with other countries and being able to get to know their different perspectives on how they approach robotics is a great opportunity. I also think that the experience of the competition itself will be awesome and one of the only times in will experience interacting with representatives from over 190 countries – it’s very exciting to be a part of it,” she said.

Team manager Glenda McTaggart said the experience of competing at the FIRST Global Challenge is one that the students will remember for a lifetime.

“Although it is a competition, the goal is not only about winning but being able to learn from the experience. Robotics teaches the value of teamwork, communication, time management, practice and the ability to perform under pressure,” said McTaggart, who is also senior manager, education programmes at Dart.

In preparation for the FIRST Global Challenge, the team also benefitted from mentoring with prior national team members. Teejhan Hansraj, who competed as a member of 2022 Cayman Islands national robotics team, has been among those mentoring this year’s members.

“I like giving back and helping prepare the team this year is rewarding. I’m able to share the experience I learned such as staying calm, thinking under pressure and communicating effectively with your team members. These insights give the team an edge because it’s not something you see written on a piece of paper.”

Speaking to the team at a recent farewell event, Deputy Premier and the minister responsible for innovation, André Ebanks, said: “The more that this type of activity (robotics) is recognised on island and becomes more baked into the (education) curriculum, the more you all will leapfrog to jobs of the future and you won’t get stuck behind. It’s a bonus, to then be able to promote the Cayman Islands on the world stage.”

Ebanks added: “I am super excited for you all and I will be rooting for you because it will be an awesome experience. Show the world that innovation exists in the Cayman Islands and that we are one of the best.”

The team competition will commence on Thursday, 26 September. For more information on the FIRST Global Challenge, visit https://first.global/fgc/