Houston, we’re solving problems!

In March, ASL’s high school robotics team, Griffins 1884, traveled to Southern California for the Orange County Regional FIRST Robotics Competition.

The team finished in the top five, qualifying for the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas, next month. What’s more, they won the Engineering Inspiration Award, passed robot inspection in record time and are already hard at work upgrading their robot for its Texan debut. Robotics Program Director Muktar Ali is incredibly proud of the Griffins group. “We’re not just building a robot, we’re building a community,” he recently shared.

Another point of pride for Griffins is the superlative support of robotics alumni who serve as team mentors. Jordi Albanell ’17, Tanner Hatzmann ’20, Patrick Jordan ’21 and Mackensie Kim ’21 accompanied Griffins to California. Offering advice and inspiring confidence, these mentors play a key role in the ASL program. It was equally special for current robotics students to be cheered on by alums who turned out for the Orange County Regional. Ali Ahmed ’18, Billy Kennedy ’13, Lucas Pabarcius ’18 and Malcolm Tisdale ’18 were among the familiar faces (and former Griffins) who attended. Good luck in Houston, Griffins! Once a robotic Eagle, always a robotic Eagle.